Last GREAT Race on Earth.starts tomorrow! Ready, set, MUSH!

 

It has been called the "Last Great Race on Earth"

2009 Iditarod International Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska starts tomorrow. The race, which is also known as the "toughest race on earth," is an 1150 mile race that passes through five climate zones. The first race was held in 1973. The race spans beautiful Alaska. The mushers take the old Iditarod trade route that was used during the height of the gold rush in Alaska (mail and supplies went in and gold came out) and then the trail was forgotten when airplanes became the most popular method of transport. In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs. Now the Iditarod is a National Historic Trail.

 

 

 

Iditarod is the Ingalik word for hidehod or clearwater. It takes 10 to 17 days from start to finish using a team of 12 to 16 dogs. There is a Northern and Southern route that are alternated each year to minimize environmental inpact. Y

 

 

 

 

 

You can watch a replay of last years race on Iditarod Tracker http://race.ionearth.com/2008_iditarod_replay/

2009 Iditarod Musher Listing: Last night, at the Musher Banquet, the starting numbers were drawn from an Ingalik boot 

 

2	Peck	Aaron	M	Grande Prairie	AB	CANADA	Veteran
3	Yoshida	Nancy	F	Thompson	ND	USA	Rookie
4	Iten	Ed	M	Kotzebue	AK	USA	Veteran
5	Larson	Rick	M	Sand Coulee	Montana	USA	Veteran
6	Moore	Allen	M	Two Rivers	AK	USA	Veteran
7	Palfrey	Warren	M	Yellowknife	NWT	CANADA	Veteran
8	Swenson	Rick	M	Two Rivers	AK	USA	Veteran
9	Matray	Blake	M	Two Rivers	AK	USA	Rookie
10	Redington Jr	Ray	M	Wasilla	AK	USA	Veteran

 Did you know???

We have our very own musher from Colorado? Yes! Kurt Reigh, as retired engineer, trains his team up in Divide Colorado. He raises Alaskan Huskies and devotes most of his energies to raising his two children AND raising money for children's charities. 

59

Reich

Kurt

M

Divide

CO

USA

Rookie

Kurt Reigh is raising money for children, coordinated wtih Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. www.iditarodforcharities.ORG

Doggie Care --- we LOVE HUSKIES !!  Most teams have Handlers. These folks take care of the dogs and help the musher before the race. They cannot interfere during the race. The Iditarod is possible due the mostly volunteers from Ancorage and surrounding towns.

 

 

 

About the Photographer

Jeff Schultz has been photographing in Alaska since 1978 and has been the Iditarod Trail Committee's official volunteer photographer since 1982. Jeff says that his God-given talent for photography has resulted in his images being published worldwide in books, magazines and advertisements. Jeff owns and operates Alaska's largest stock photo agency, Alaska Stock Images, which represents more than 100 photographers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMING SOON!  I will be interviewing Kurt Reich.

Watch for that exciting blog later this spring!