Iditarod Research Paper

On the first Saturday of March, the people in Anchorage, Alaska are preparing to cover 1,000 miles in the Alaskan wilderness (Brown 12; Burgman 7). These people are competing in the Iditarod, a dog race from Anchorage to Nome held every year, hoping to earn a $50,000 cash prize and a four-wheel drive truck (Brown 62). The name Iditarod comes from the name of an abandoned mining town located halfway between the start and end of the race (Doyle 14). The Iditarod race is an Alaskan tradition that brings people from all backgrounds with their dogs together every year. The Iditarod race has many scenic views that mushers enjoy while running through the long race. Mushers will cross the Alaskan and Kuskokwim mountain ranges, which can be some of the most difficult parts of the race (Harris 17). The Alaskan village of Nikolai is the first native village that a musher will pass through (Brown 30). Many of the checkpoints that mushers pass through are run by families and volunteers in the area (Brown 20). Some mushers will stay at checkpoints longer than others because they will have to take a required 24-hour break and two eight hour breaks at some point in the race (Doyle 15). …show more content…
Their dogs are a part of their family and the dogs’ health and safety is the racers highest priority. The first Iditarod dog teams were made up of Siberian Huskies (Harris 7). These dogs were descendants of dogs used during the gold rush area to pull freighting sleds (Sherwonit 34). The dogs go through conditioning during the offseason just like a marathon runner would in between races (Harris 18). When there is no snow, dogs will pull wheeled carts to simulate pulling the heavy sleds used in the races (Harris 18). Before, during, and after the race, dogs are tested for health issues and drugs by vets (Sherwonit 40). In 1975, multiple rules were added to make sure that the dogs’ health, safety, and well-being were a top priority (Sherwonit