Tracy's World

As hundreds of dogs barked and thousands of fans lined up for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod XXXVIII, mushers and their teams of dogs left  for an eleven mile run to Anchorage.  Seventy one mushers entered the race this year each with twelve to  sixteen dogs on their team.

The race consists of over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain from Anchorage to Nome. It has been called the “Last Great Race on Earth” and it is said to be a “race extraordinaire” which can only be possible in Alaska.  The race covers jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coasts.  Temperatures reach far below zero and winds can cause complete loss of visibility as does long periods of darkness. These treacherous conditions will be covered by the musher and his/her dogs within ten to seventeen days.

In the early 1920′s, settlers had come to Alaska following a gold strike. The  Iditarod Trail, which is now a National Historic Trail was used as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knick to the mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby and beyond to the west coast communities.  Mail and supplies went in and gold came out.

In 1925, Nome was threatened by Diphtheria and was in need of serum.  Part of the Iditarod Trail was used as a highway by the mushers and their dogs to deliver this life saving serum.

Today, Alaska is the world Mecca for sled dog racing. Mushers from more than a dozen foreign countries have run the Iditarod.  It has become Alaska’s best known sporting event and some Alaskan mushers have run races in the Russian Far East.  The Winter Olympics are even considering adding sled dog racing as an event.

The Iditarod is a commemoration of those early days of the trail, a past that the Alaskans honor and are very proud of.