Travel Tips
Mush! Iditarod 2009 Dog Sled Race Starts in Alaska
The 37th annual Iditarod, the 1,100-mile dog sled race that traverses the roadless wilderness of Alaska, began Sunday with 67 teams.
After a celebratory sprint around Anchorage on Saturday amid cheering crowds and media, the mushers and their dogs headed to Willow, a small town 80 miles north of Anchorage which is the official starting point of the race.
They will finish eight or nine days from now in Nome, in the western tip of the state.
The starting line for the race used to be in Wasilla, the Anchorage suburb that is famous as the home of Alaska governor Sarah Palin. But last year it was switched to the much smaller village of Willow because too little snow was falling in Wasilla.
The Iditarod, Alaska’s most popular race, has been around since roughly 1973, when teams first started racing through the frozen backcountry of Alaska to commemorate a life-saving dog-sled transport of anti-diphtheria serum in 1925.
Since then the number of participants has grown along with the prize money, as more and more contestants vied to complete the grueling journey in the shortest amount of time.
The current record of eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds was set in 2002 by Swiss-born Martin Buser. Competition is expected to be fierce this year, as last year’s two-time defending champion Lance Mackey faces off against four-time winners Buser and Jeff King, as well as five-time winner Rick Swenson.
The number of competitors is considerably lower this year compared to last, when a record 96 teams entered. The total prize money of $69,000 is also less than last year, as the recession has caused some sponsors to cut their budgets.
The payout that the winner takes home may seem like a small compensation compared to the hardship endured by the racers. The Iditarod Trail passes through Alaska’s harsh and sparsely inhabited interior, where racers frequently face subzero temperatures, gale force winds, and blizzards that create whiteout conditions.
There are roughly 25 checkpoints along the route where mushers must check in and replenish supplies. Race rules require participants to take several mandatory rest stops, so that both the humans and the dogs can recharge.
If you want to watch the Iditarod in person, your options are somewhat limited. Thousands turn out for the ceremonial start of the race in Anchorage and the finish in Nome, but since there are no roads that run through Alaska’s wild interior, it’s hard to see the stretches in between.
However, if you’re really hardy, you can rent a snowmobile, pack some supplies, and head out to one of the checkpoints. Some devoted race fans hop from one checkpoint to another to follow their favorite team.
The least difficult option is to do like most Alaskans, and watch it on the Internet. Check out the official Iditarod site www.iditarod.com and live streaming sites such as ustream.tv.
And if you want to learn the art of mushing, there are numerous kennels that offers tours, and companies that can take you on summer dog sled rides.
By Karen Elowitt for PeterGreenberg.com.
Related Links: USA Today, Associated Press, Reuters – UK, EHow.com
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