Iditarod - "The Last Great Race on Earth"

Few things are as uniquely Alaska as the Iditarod.

The Iditarod is a sled dog race of 1,000+ miles from Anchorage to Nome.
















The Iditarod is run each year to commemorate the 1925 emergency delivery diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska by dogsled over the Iditarod Trail.


After a diptheria outbreak in Nome, 300,000 units of serum were located at a hospital in Anchorage. It was decided to transport the serum by train from Anchorage to Nenana, a town on the Tanana River 220 miles north of Anchorage, and then by a relay of dog teams over the 674 miles between Nenana and Nome. This epic relay was carried out by diverse group of 20 mushers: Eskimo, Russian-Eskimo, Norwegian, Irish and Indians. These men had stamina and toughness in common, and all shared the special understanding and working partnership with their sled dogs that would be the key to the success of the venture.













Iditarod route map

Held annually since 1973, winning times over the last 25 years range from 18 days to 8 days.

The 2010 Iditarod attracted approximately 70 entrants, with 55 finishing the race. Racers must start with at least 12 (but not more than 16) dogs, and must finish with at least 6 dogs.















The champions include one 5-time winner and five 4-time winners. Libby Riddles was the first woman to win, in 1985. (Mary Shields, whom I met on my previous Alaska trip, was the first woman to finish, in 1974). Susan Butcher (4-time winner) had just won for the 4th time in 5 years on my last visit; I bought one of the then-popular shirts inscribed with, "Alaska - Where Men are Men, and Women Win the Iditarod."