Today is the official start of the "last great race on earth" in Alaska and I'm a big fan! These dogs (and mushers) are absolutely amazing...here's what they say on their site: You can't compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska. There are 68 teams starting out today, and hopefully all will make it safe to Nome sometime next week after being out on the trail for 8+ days. The dogs are well cared for, and are checked by vets at all of the checkpoints on the way. It's a very strong bond between a musher and his/her dogs. If you'd like to see some videos and read more about these amazing dogs and their mushers, visit their website at: http://www.iditarod.com/
I have seen several reports about the Iditarod, such an ordeal. But the mushers are good and the dogs absolutely love doing it.
Loved the link Kasey!! The stamina of both dogs and men always amazes me. I hope they all make it safely to the finishing line without any serious injuries.
I update.... The top mushers are now past the half-way point with about 480 miles to go to Nome. Lance Mackey is currently in the lead (despite falling asleep on his runners and getting lost!), but there's a lot of race ahead. Lance said that his dogs were bummed out that he had to turn them back around, and that they kept looking over their shoulders at him in disbelief. They wanted to hear the cheers from spectators at the next checkpoint! Can't imagine being tired after 7 days out on that trail, can you?!!! If Lance can keep this up, he'll win the Iditarod for the 3rd year in a row!!! http://www.iditarod.com/
Lance Mackey just won the Iditarod for the 3rd year in a row!!! He rode into Nome AK with 15 dogs after mushing for over 1130 miles in extreme conditions (lots of wind and ground blizzards to deal with this year). CONGRATULATIONS TO LANCE AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL MUSHERS STILL ON THEIR WAY TO NOME!!!
