The Idatarod
The IdatarodPicture this: You are going to travel over one thousand miles across Alaska---by car?
by train? by plane? NO!! You are travelling by dogsled -
your only companions on this journey will be eleven to
fourteen of the most honest, loyal and strong dogs that you
can find. For over six grueling months, you and your
carefully selected dogs have been training, and now it is up
to you and your canine companions.
For sledders (or "mushers") this is a dream come true
because they are about to start the Iditarod - a name
possibly derived from the Indian word "Ingalik" meaning
"distant place". Only half of the starting team of dogs
will finish. Those with the strongest heart and the will to
go on against overwhelming odds will complete the race.
The Iditarod is a dogsled race that takes place in Alaska
every year. It goes from Anchorage (Alaska's largest city)
to Nome, stretching over 1,000 miles of icy, snow-covered
ground. The Iditarod was begun in the 1960's when people
tried to restore tradition to Alaska. It was first run to
commemorate a trip that took place in 1925 to deliver
medicine to Nome. The race has two routes, the Northern and
the Southern. In even-numbered years, the Northern route is
used and in odd-numbered years, the Southern route is used.
The Iditarod is the hardest and toughest dogsled race there
is. Sometimes the mushers get so tired, they hallucinate.
What makes the race so demanding? Three features: time,
temperature and distance.
The temperature in Alaska is so cold that it can reach up to
40 degrees below zero during the running of the race.
Because it gets so cold, the mushers have to wear several
layers of clothing. One of the major sponsors (Timberland)
has made specially-designed clothes to keep them warm,
including sleeping bags, snowshores, special long underwear,
boots for wet and dry surfaces, water resistant climbing
suits, and mittens made out of beaver skin. Other equipment
includes dog "booties" for the dogs' feet, and a six foot
long 28 pound tobaggan. One tobaggan, made by North Star is
called the "Ferrari " of dogsleds. More than one sled is
used. As the land gets flatter and icier, a new sled with
flat runners is used. This sled is easier for the dogs to
pull on the icy surface.
For training, the dogs are split up into two teams for three
days of workout and one day of
rest. It is critical that the dogs be able to maintain
their pace even when they are exhausted.
The dogs get a few days off before the "big day".
Sometimes accidents can happen. For example, when training,
Bruce Johnsen, Canada's top musher, plunged through the ice
of a frozen lake where he and his eight dog team died. The
mushers and their team can get attacked by a...
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