The Alaskan Iditarod

The last great race on Earth!

The Iditarod race takes place in the state of

Alaska

The capital of Alaska is Juneau, but the

largest city is Anchorage.

Alaska State Population: 626,932

Alaska Area: 586,412 sq. mi. - two and a half

times larger than Texas.

it became the 49th state on January 3rd, 1959.

Iditarod History

It began as a mail route: mail came in and gold went out all by dog sled

The airplane signaled the beginning of the end of the dog teams.

Iditarod History

In early 1925, a diphtheria epidemic threatened isolated, icebound Nome.

The nearest serum was in Anchorage and it was to dangerous to fly in the blizzard.

Instead, a Pony Express-type relay of dog teams was quickly organized on the iditarod trail, lead by the legendary dog, Balto.

Iditarod History

The serum arrived in time to prevent the epidemic and save hundreds of lives.

The first “long” race was ran in 1973

The last full-scale, old-fashioned, frontier-style gold rush in the United States roared into life in 1909 at Iditarod, 629 trail miles west of the future site of Anchorage and half way to Nome.

GOLD RUSH of 1909

The actual town of Iditarod is now a ghost town.

Dog Power The typical traveler on the

Iditarod was a musher driving a team of twenty or more dogs pulling a massive freight sled capable of carrying half a ton or more.

½ ton = 1,000 pounds

That is approximately

50 pounds per dog.

Why dogs and not horses?

Dogs are faster than horses over the long haul.

Capable of maintaining average speeds of eight to twelve miles an hour for hundreds of miles (including rest stops)

Can exceed twenty miles an hour or more on shorter sprints

Heavy draft animals cannot use the snow packed winter trails.

Month of the Year

Types of Travel

January

February

March

April

May

June

JulyAugust

September

October

November

December

Each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher travel over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days.

Covers rough mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra, and miles of windswept coast.

Temperatures that fall far below zero, winds that can cause complete invisibility, overflow, long hours of darkness.

Competitors are male or female, all different ages, and come from all walks of life.

The trail follows the

northern route in even years.

During the early years of the Iditarod Race, the mushers only traveled the northern trail. After several years, the Iditarod Board of Directors realized that the smaller villages were being heavily impacted by the race coming through their village year after year. It was decided to use both sections of the trail.

The trail follows the southern

route in odd years.

The race begins at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of March, and ends in Nome Alaska.

Overlay of Trails

During the days of Alaska sled dog freighting and mail carrying, dog drivers relied on a series of roadhouses between their village destinations. Since these mushers ventured out in most all kinds of weather, for safety reasons they founded the idea that pilots rely on, known today as the flight plan. Word was relayed ahead that a musher and team were on the trail, and a kerosene lamp was lit and hung outside the roadhouse. It not only helped the dog driver find his destination at night, most importantly, it signified that a team or teams were somewhere out on the trail.

The lamp was not extinguished until the musher reached his destination safely.

In keeping with this tradition, a “widows lamp” will be lit and hung at the Iditarod finish line until the last musher and team cross the line safely.

The Red Lantern is often confused with the “Widows Lamp”. They are not the same. The Red Lantern was started as a joke and has become a symbol of “stick-to-itiveness”. The idea was that the last fellow was so far behind he needed a light to find his way home. Wells Fargo Bank Alaska awards the red lantern to the last musher off the trail.

GEE- command for a right turn

HAW- command for left turn

Come Gee!, Come Haw!- commands for 180 degree turns

Line Out!- command to lead dog to pull the team out straight from sled, used mostly while hooking dogs into team or unhooking them

Mush!, Hike! Al Right!, Lets Go!- commands to start the team

Whoa!- command used to halt the team, accompanied by heavy pressure on the brake

WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!

What are the Requirements To Be a Musher?

You need to be at least

18 years old.

You need to send the

application by midnight

December 1st + $1850.00.

You need to be trained.

You need to follow the

rules.

What are the Requirements To Be a Musher?

A rookie must have

written proof of

completing the race

requirement of 500 miles

or 800 miles in the last 5

years in non-Iditarod races.

You need to be accepted

by the ITC (Iditarod Trail

Committee.)

True or False

Alaska became a state in 1949.

True

True or False

Railroad signaled the beginning of the end for dog sleds.

False -Airplanes

True or False

Heavy animals cannot use the winter trails.

True

True or False

The trail follows the southern route in even years.

False –Odd

True or False

The Widow’s Lamp is the award for the last musher to cross the finish.

False –Red Lantern

The Last Great Race on Earth

Check out www.iditarod.com

for more information.

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