Iditarod

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Iditarod is an annual dog sled race from Achorage in the southern part of Alaska to Nome on the Seward Peninsula, at the western end of the state.

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The Race

The race covers more than 1,150 miles and takes between 9 and 17 days to complete. The race route spans mountains, forest, tundra, and follows a good stretch of the Yukon River, all in the dark of an Alaskan winter.

Finishers are often separated by hours or days, so there's no sense sitting by the finish line hoping to see all the action. In 2007, the first and last place were separated by more than seven days.

The 2007 race was won on March 13th by Lance Mackey, turning in a time of nine days, five hours, eight minutes and forty-one seconds. Like his brother and his father, both past Iditarod champs, Mackey won wearing bib #13. Mackey was also the winner of the 2007 Yukon Quest -- the first person to win both gruelling events in the same year. Mackey's team of nine dogs was led by lead dogs Larry and Lippy.

Finishing the Itidarod at all is an accomplishment, as shown by the tradition of The Red Lantern: that's the name of the prize awarded the last finisher each year.

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History

The legend of the Iditarod began in 1925. An epidemic of diphtheria was threatening Nome, and dog mushers were called on to race life-saving serum in. The race is a re-creation and celebration of that historic trek, and has been run annually since 1973.

The closest finish ever was in 1978, when Dick Mackey beat Rick Swenson by one second.

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Teams

Each team consists of one musher and 12 to 16 dogs.