A Iditarod Trail Sled Pooch Race, normally known as a "Iditarod" & referred to as a "Last Great Race", is an annual dog sled race in Alaska, where mushers and teams of dogs cover to a higher degree 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in less than fortnight, oftentimes across blizzards causing whiteout conditions, and sub-zero weather and gale-force winds which could induce a wind chill to reach −One c° F (−75° C). A trail diarrhea through the U.S. state of Alaska, from the city of Anchorage in the southeast, up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska Range into the sparsely populated Interior, and then along the shore of the Bering Sea, finally reaching Nome in the northwest. a teams cross a coarse however starkly beautiful landscape under the canopy of the Northern Lights, through tundra and spruce forests, over hills and mountain passes, and through rivers. When the begaround in Anchorage is midvirtually all of a big city, most of the route lives across widely-separated towns & villages, & little Athapaskan and Inuit settlements. A Iditarod is look on a symbolic link to a early history of the state, and has numerous traditions commemorating the bequest of puppy mushing, most famously a diphtheria serum run of 1925 which redeemed them of Nome from either a "black death". A race is as well associated by owning a spirit of "America's Last Frontier", including a traits of perseverance, researching a single's have restricts, & an adventurous spirit.

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A race is the virtually all popular sporting event in a state, & the top mushers and their teams of dogs come treated when celebrities; this popularity is credited with a revivification of amateur mushing in a state since the 1970s. Piece a annually field of other than fifty mushers & just about a 1000 dogs is however largely Alaskan, challenger from either xiv countries keep around completed a event including the Norwegian Robert Sørlie, who became a 1st international winner inside 2003. A Iditarod became notable outside a state largely because of media attention directed at Libby Riddles, a longshot world health organization became a 1st woman to waround a race in 1985; and then at Susan Butcher, who became the 2nd woman to waround a race in 1986, & went in to dominate a race for half a decade. Print & television journalists & crowds of spectators attend a run at a intersection of For Avenue & D Street witharound Anchorage, & in smaller totals at a checkpoints along a trail. On a veto side, the dying of to a higher degree a 12 dogs around the outdoors in the period of the number one race in 1973 was widely criticized by animal rights groups. Despite immense improvements around puppy care deaths however occur, & a microscopic however vocal class action of militant prove my point to speak retired against the race.

While a Iditarod began (1973), it was tremendously different from either what it is now. Once it began, it wasn't such the "race" as an "event" to commemorate a tradition of mutt mushing, in which good mushers meeting to end line text themselves & their dogs. So come a money, specifically a money that accompanies network TV coverage. Sustaining a money, come a immense pooch lots breeding a scrawny (however convenient) dogs that i personally watch now. Several world health organizatiin come acquainted a history of a Iditarod look back using nostalgia on a early times, whenever a mushers got little teams by using large dogs, & a emphasis was non on winning a race; the emphasis get on completing the project.

History

Portions of the Iditarod Trail were used per Native American Inuit and Athapaskans hundreds of years before a arrival of Russian fur traders in the 1800s, but a trail reached its peak between a late 1880s and the mid 1920s as miners arrived to dig coal then gold, especially after a Alaska gold rushes at Nome in 1898, and at a "Inland Empire" along a Kuskokwim Mountains between the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, in 1908.

A primary communication & transport link to a rest of a globe when you took the summertime was the steamship; but between October and June the northern ports like Nome became icebound, & dog sleds delivered mail, firewood, mining equipment, gold ore, food, furs, priests, and more required a diapers between the trading posts and settlements across a Interior and along the american coast. Roadhouses where travelers can spend a nighttime uprise each 14 to 30 miles (23–48 kilometer) until a prevent of the 1920s when the mailman were replaced by bush pilots flying small aircraft, and a roadhouses vanished. Run sledding continue the rural area of Alaska, however was most caused into extinction per spread of snowmobiles in the 1960s.

In the period of its bloom, mushing was besides the popular sport during the wintertime, once mining towns close up. A 1st major competition was a enormously popular 1908 All-Alaska Sweepstakes (AAS), which was started by Allan "Scotty" Alexander Allan, & ran 408 miles (657 kilometer) from either Nome to Candle and back. A event introduced a foremost Siberian huskies to Alaska in 1910, in which it quickly became a favorite racing puppy, replacing a Alaskan malamute, and mongrels bred from imported huskies and other big breeds, prefer setters and pointers. Inside 1914, a Norwegian immigrant Leonhard Seppala first appeared, and went around to win race in 1915, 1916, and 1917, before a race was discontinued within 1918 during World War I.

Anchorage of Balto, the lead sled dog during the final stretch of the serum run]] A best known event in the history of Alaskan mushing is the 1925 serum run to Nome, also referred to as a "Great Race of Mercy". The diphtheria epidemic threatened Nome, especially the Inuit toddlers world health organization experienced there is no immunity to the "white man's disease", & a close quantity of antitoxin was in Anchorage. Since them available planes were two dismantled & got never been flown in the wintertime, Governor Scott Bone approved a safer route. A Twenty pound (9 kg) cylinder of serum was sent by train 298 miles (480 km) from a southern port of Seward to Nenana, where it was passed just prior to midnight in January 27 to a first of twenty mushers & supplementary than One c dogs world health organization relayed the pack 674 miles (1,085 kilometre) from either Nenana to Nome.

A Norwegian Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto, arrived in Front Street around Nome on February 2 at 5:30 AM just five and a half days later. Them became medithe celebrities, & a statue of Balto was erected at Central Park inside New York City in 1925, in which it has get one of a virtually all popular tourist attractions. Yet, virtually all mushers assume Leonhard Seppala & his lead run Togo to be trueness heroes of the do. Together it covered a virtually all risky stretch of a route, & carried the blood serum farther than any more team.

A Iditarod was a inspiration of Dorothy G. Page (the "Mother of the Iditarod"), who wanted to sponsor a sled dog race to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the purchase of Alaska from Russia. By using a trend lines of Joe Redington, Senior (the "Father of the Iditarod"), a number one Iditarod Trail Seppala Memorial Race was held inside 1967 & covered Xxv miles (Xl klick) touching Anchorage. A purse of USD $25,000 attracted a field of 58 racers including a winner, Isaac Okleasik. A next race around 1968 was canceled due to want of snow, & a little $1,000 purse around 1969 lone drew Dozen mushers.

Redington was the impetus behind extending a race to a higher degree 1,000 miles along a historic route to Nome, & a major fund raising campaign which raised a purse of $51,000. a foremost avowedly Iditarod was held within 1973, & attracted a field 34 mushers, Xxii of whom completed the race. a event was a profits; possibly though a purse come by a 1974 race, the popularity caused the field of mushers to rise to 44, & corporate sponsorship around 1975 put the race in locate fiscal footing. Despite the loss of sponsors in the period of a mutt abuse scandal in 1976, a Iditarod driven the revivification of amateur mushing in the Seventies, & has continued to develop until these are nowadays the big sporting event in the state. When a race was originally patterned when a AAS, it has as well been deliberately associated sustaining more symbols from the history of Alaska, including Leonhard Seppala, a gold rush, & virtually all importantly the 1925 blood serum redo, to which these are today inseparately attached.

A race's namesake is a Iditarod Trail, which wwhen intended as one of the number 1 4 National Historic Trails in 1978. A trail successively is known as for the town of Iditarod, which was an Athabaskan village before becoming a center of the Inland Empire's Iditarod Mining District within 1910, and so turning into the ghost town at the prevent of the local gold rush. Iditarod can be from either a Athabaskan haiditarod, meaning "far distant place".

A independent route of the Iditarod trail extends 938 miles (1,500 km) from Seward inside the south to Nome in the northwest, and was number 1 surveyed by Walter Goodwin in 1908, & then cleared and marked per Alaska Road Commission in 1910 and 1911. the entire network of branching paths covers a aggregate of 2,450 (3,945 kilometre). Except for a run inside Anchorage, the modern race follows area of the historic trail.

Route

A route of a race was chosen to end line text the spunk of the sled dogs and their drivers ("mushers"), and lives across largely unpeopled tundra. When universally yearn than 1,000 miles (1,600 klick), the trail is actually composed of the northern route, which is do in potentially-numbered years; & a southern route, which is do in odd-numbered years. Two watch a equivalent trail for 444 miles (715 klick), from either Anchorage to Ophir, where they vary so rejoin at Kaltag, 441 miles (71Klick) from either Nome. A race utilized a northern route until 1977, whenever a southern route was added to distribute a impact of the event on the little villages in the area, none of which stand to a higher degree two or three one c dweller. Passing through the historic town of Iditarod was a secondary profit.

Aside from either a addition of a southern route, the route has remained comparatively constant. A big changes were a addition of a restart location inside 1975, & the shift from either Ptarmidgan to Rainy Pass around 1976. Checkpoints along a route come besides on occasion added or even dropped, & a ceremonial run of a route & the restart point come ordinarily adjusted due to atmospheric condition.

Following a accurate measured few feet away of a race varies, however based on data from a official internet site a northern route is 1,112 miles (1,790 kilometre) yearn, & the southern route is 1,131 miles (1820 kilometre) yearn (ITC, Southern & Northern). A length of the race is likewise oftentimes rounded to either 1,050, 1,100, or even even 1,150 miles (1690, 1770 or 1850 kilometre), however is officially placed at 1,049 miles (1688 kilometer), which honors Alaska's status when the 49th state.

Checkpoints

There are presently Xxv checkpoints on the northern route, & Xxvi on the southern route inside which mushers must sign in. A select few mushers like to camp in the outdoors & immediately click in, however others stay & rest. Mushers acquire the diapers & devices around Anchorage, which are then flown in the lead to both checkpoint per Iditarod Air Inflict. A devices includes food, more booties for the dogs, headlamps for night travel, batteries (for the lamps, music, or radios), tools & sled parts for repairs, and possibly lightweight sleigh for the final dash to Nome. Mushers can besides drop hurt or even exhausted dogs at the most checkpoints, in which it is flown to the veterinary station. To each one team is needed to prevent for Half a dozen hours at White Mountain to rest & their dogs, and to spend at least Two dozen hours at one more checkpoint, oft finding Rohn.

Within 1985, a race was suspended first for safety reasons whenever weather condition prevented a Iditarod Air Inflict from either redeeming the diapers to Rohn & Nikolai, the first both checkpoints in the Alaska Interior. Fifty-eight mushers & 508 dogs congregated at a little reside Rainy Pass for three years, when emergency shipments of food were flown within from either Anchorage. Weather condition too halted a race late at McGrath, and the two blocks added well-nigh the week to the winning instance.

Ceremonial start
The race starts the first Saturday in March, at the first checkpoint on Fourth Street, in downtown Anchorage. A five-block section of the street is barricaded off as a staging area, and snow is stockpiled and shipped in by truck the night before to cover the route to the first checkpoint. Prior to 1983, the race started at Mulcahy Park. Hundreds of dogs are unloaded from "dog boxes", honeycomb-like compartments in the back of a truck, and marked with identifying paint. Race officials, dog handlers, veternarians, and journalists mob the mushers in staging area for last minute interviews and checkups. At 8:30 AM AST, the crowds of spectactors sent behind the slatwood barriers.

Shortly before the race, a ribbon cutting ceremony is held under the flags representing the home countries and states of all competitors in the race. The first musher to depart at 10 AM AST is an honorary musher, selected for their contributions to dog sledding. From the first race in 1973 until 1980, the honorary musher was Leonhard Seppala, who covered the longest distance in the 1925 diphtheria serum run. The first competitor leaves at 10:02, and the rest follow, separated by 2 minute intervals. The start order is determined a lottery during the banquet held two days prior.

In addition to the normal load, each team also carries two passengers. One is a family member or friend, and the other is an "Idita-Rider". The Idita-Riders are chosen by an auction in January, which was held entirely online for the first time in 2005. In 2005, the average bid was USD $1918.09, and raised a total of $140,021.00.

The additional riders also help curb the enthusiasm of the dogs. This is the most trying portion of the race for many dogs, who are unused to the noise and flashing cameras of city crowds; or the unusual terrain including tunnels, bridges, and sharp corners. Teams occasionally come to a complete stop, or run into the crowds. In 1979, Gayle Nienhueser fell and sprained a wrist, and in 1985 there was a three-sled pileup around a sharp curve. To compensate, some mushers use a lead dog more accustomed to the chaos during this first leg. But despite the problems, Anchorage is the largest city situated close to the Historic Iditarod Trail, and provides access to the facilities of a full city, including press coverage.

The mushers then continue through the city streets, where police halt traffic at intersections to allow them to pass. They cover several miles of city streets and city trails before reaching the foothills to the east of Anchorage, in Chugach State Park in the Chugach Mountains. The teams then follow Glenn Highway for 2 to 3 hours until they reach Eagle River, 20 miles (30 km) away. Once they arrive at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building, the mushers check in, unharness their teams, return them to their boxes, and drive 30 miles (50 km) of highway to the restart point.

During the first two races in 1973 and 1974, the teams crossed the mudflats of Cook Inlet to Knik (the original restart location), but this was discontinued because the weather frequently hovers around freezing, turning it into a muddy hazard. The second checkpoint also occasionally changes due to weather; in 2005, the checkpoint was changed from Eagle River to Campbell Airstrip, only 11 miles (18 km) away.

Restart
After the dogs are shuttled to the third checkpoint, the race restarts the next day (Sunday) at 2 PM AST. Prior to 2004, the race was restarted at 10 AM, but the time has been moved back so the dogs will be starting in colder weather, and the first mushers arrive at Skwentna well after dark, which reduces the crowds of fans who fly into the checkpoint.

The traditional restart location is the headquarters of the Iditarod Trail Committee, in Wasilla, but warm weather and poor trail conditions can push the restart further north to Willow Lake, and in 2003 it was bumped 300 miles (500 km) north to Fairbanks. The mushers depart, separated by the same intervals as their arrival at the second checkpoint. While not as chaotic as the ceremonial start in Anchorage, thousands of spectators also mob the restart.

The first 100 miles (160 km) from Eagle River through the checkpoints at Knik, and Yetna Station, to Skwentna are known as "moose alley", and are one of the most hazardous stretches of the trail. The many moose in the area find it difficult to move and forage for food when the ground is thick with snow. As a result, the large deer use pre-existing trails, and stubbornly refuse to move, forcing mushers to make a wide half-circle through the deep snow before returning to the trail. Moose kill more people each year than bears, and have been known to attack when starving, or when they feel threatened.

In 1985, Susan Butcher lost her chance at becoming the first woman to win the Iditarod when her team made a sharp turn, and encountered a pregnant moose. It killed two dogs and seriously injured six more in the twenty minutes before Duane "Dewey" Halverson arrived and shot it. In 1982, Dick Mackey, Warner Vent, Jerry Austin, and their teams were driven into the forest by a charging moose, though there were no deaths.

Otherwise, the route to Skwentna is easy, over flat lowlands, and well marked by stakes or tripods with reflectors or flags. Most mushers push through the night, and the first teams usually arrive at Skwentna before dawn. Skwentna is a 40 minute hop from Anchorage by aircraft, and dozens of planes land on the airstrip or on the Skwetna River, bringing journalists, photographers, and spectators.

From Skwentna, the route follows the Skwentna River into the southern part of the Alaska Range to Finger Lake. The stretch from Finger Lake to Rainy Pass, on Puntilla Lake, becomes more difficult, as the teams follow the narrow Happy River Gorge, where the trail balances on the side of a heavily forested incline. In 1985, Jerry Austin broke a hand and two of his dogs were injured when the sled went out of control and hit a stand of trees. Rainy Pass is part of the Historic Iditarod Trail, but until 1976 the pass was inaccessible and route detoured through Ptarmigan Pass, also known as Hell's Gate, because of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake.

Into the Interior
From Rainy Pass, the route continues up the mountain, past the tree line to the to the divide of the Alaska Range, and then passes down into the Alaska Interior. The elevation of the pass is 3,200 feet (975 m), and some nearby peaks exceed 5,000 feet (1,500 m). The valley up the mountains is exposed to blizzards. In 1974, there were several cases of frostbite when the temperature dropped to −50 °F (−45 °C), and the 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) winds caused the windchill to drop to −130 °F (−90 °C). The wind also erases the trail and markers, making the path hard to follow. In 1976, retired colonel Norman Vaughan, who drove a dog team in Richard E. Byrd's 1928 expedition to the South Pole and competed in the only Olympic sled dog race, became lost for five days after leaving Rainy Pass, and nearly died.

The trail down Dalzell Gorge from the divide is regarded as the worst stretch of the trail. Steep and twisting, it drops 1,000 feet (300 m) in elevation in just five miles (8 km), and there is little traction so the teams are hard to control. Mushers have to ride the brake most of the way down, and use a snow hook for traction. In 1988, rookie Peryll Kyzer fell through an ice bridge into a creek, and spent the night wet. The route then follows Tatina River, which is also hazardous; in 1986 Butcher's lead dogs fell through the ice, but landed on a second layer of ice instead of falling into the river. In 1997, Ramey Smyth lost the end of his pinkie when it hit an overhanging branch while negotiating the gorge[http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6236819p-6111967c.html].

Rohn is the next checkpoint, and is located in a spruce forest with no wind and a poor airstrip. The isolation, and its location immediately after the rigors of Rainy Pass, and before the 75 mile haul to the next checkpoint, makes it a popular place for mushers to take their mandatory 24 hour stop. From Rohn, the trail follows the south fork of the Kuskokwim River, where freezing water running over a layer of ice (overflow) is a hazard. In 1975, Vaughan was hospitalized for frostbite after running through an overflow. In 1973, Terry Miller and his team were almost drawn into a hole in the river by the powerful current in an overflow, but were rescued by Tom Mercer who came back to save them.

About 45 miles (70 km) from Rohn, the path leaves the river and passes into the Farewell Burn. In 1976, a wildfire turned 360,000 acres (1,500 km²) of spruce into blackened badland of burnt timber. Fallen trees, and falling through clumps of sedge or grass which balloon out into a canopy two feet (600 mm) above the ground, supporting a deceptively thin crust of snow, are common dangers. The Burn forces teams to move very slowly, and can cause paw injuries.

Nikolai, an Athapaskan settlement on the banks of the Kuskokwim River, is the first Native American village used as a checkpoint, and the arrival of the sled teams is one of the largest social events of the year. The route then follows the south fork of the Kuskokwim to the former mining town of McGrath. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 401, making it the largest checkpoint in the Interior. McGrath is also notable for being the first site in Alaska to receive mail by aircraft (in 1924), heralding the end of the sled dog era. It still has a good airfield, so journalists are common.

The next checkpoint is the ghost town of Takotna, which was a commercial hub during the gold rush. Ophir, named for the reputed source of King Solomon's gold by religious prospectors, is the next checkpoint. By this stage in the race, the front-runners are several days ahead of those in the back of the pack.

Divided path
After Ophir, the trail diverges into a northern and a southern route, which rejoin at Kaltag. On even years, the northern route is used; and on odd years the southern route is used. During the first few Iditarods there was only one trail, which followed the route of what is now the northern trail. In the late 1970s, the southern leg of the route was added to give the southern villages a chance to host the Iditarod, and also to allow the route to pass through the trail's namesake, the historical town of Iditarod. The two routes differ by less than 10 miles (16 km).

On even years, the northern route first passes through Cripple, which is 503 miles (810 km) from Anchorage, and 609 miles (980 km) from Nome (ITC, Northern), making it the middlemost checkpoint. From Cripple, the route passes through Sulatna Crossing to Ruby, on the Yukon River. Ruby is another former gold rush town which became an Athapaskan village.

On odd years, the southern route first passes through the ghost town of Iditarod, which is the alternate halfway mark, at 599 miles (964 km) from Anchorage, and 532 miles (856 km) from Nome (ITC, Southern). From Iditarod the route goes through the Athapaskan villages of Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling, and Eagle Island.

Ruby and Anvik are on the longest river in Alaska, the Yukon, which is swept by strong winds which can wipe out the trail and drop the windchill below −100 °F (−75 °C). A greater hazard is the uniformity of this long stretch: Suffering from sleep deprivation, many mushers report hallucinations (Sherwonit, 1991). Both trails meet again in Kaltag, which for hundreds of years has been a gateway between the Athapaskan villages in the Interior, and the Inuit settlements on the coast of the Bering Sea. The "Kaltag Portage" runs through a 1,000 feet (300 m) pass down to the Inuit town of Unalakleet, on the shore of the Bering Sea.

Last dash

In the early years of the Iditarod, the last stretch along the shores of the Norton Sound of the Bering Sea to Nome was a slow, easy trip. Now that the race is more competitive, the last stretch has become one long dash to the finish.

According to the 2000 census, the village of Unalakleet has a population of 747, making it the largest Native American town along the Iditarod. The majority of the residents are Inupiat, the Inuit people of the Bering Strait region. The town's name means the "place in which a easterly blows", and the buildings are commonly buried under snowdrifts. Racers are met by church bells or sirens, and mobbed by crowds.

From Unalakleet, the route passes through the hills to the Inupiat village of Shaktoolik, which is also buried in snow, after the northeast wind brings ground blizzards. The route then passes across the frozen Norton Bay, where the markers are young spruce trees that were dropped into holes in the ice, where they froze, to Koyuk. After the Bay, the route swings west along the south shore of Seward Peninsula though the tiny villages of Elim, Golovin and White Mountain.

All teams must rest their dogs for at least six hours at White Mountain, before the final sprint. From White Mountain to Safety is 77 miles (124 km), and from Safety to Nome is just 22 miles (35 km). The last leg is crucial because the lead teams are often within a few hours of each other at this point. As of 1991, the race has been decided by less than an hour seven different times, less than five minutes three times, and in the closest race the winner and the runner-up were only one second apart.

The official finish line is the Red "Dodger" Olson Trail Monument, more commonly known as the "burled arch", in Nome. The original burled arch lasted from 1975, until it was destroyed by dry rot and years of inclement weather in 2001. The new arch is a spruce log with two distinct burls, similar but not identical to the old arch. While the old arch spelled out "Prevent of the Iditarod Mutt Race", the new arch has an additional word: "Prevent of the Iditarod Sled Puppy Race".

A "Widow woman's Lamp" is lit and remains hanging on the arch until the last competitor crosses the finish line. The tradition is based on the kerosene lamp lit and hung outside a roadhouse, when a musher carrying goods or mail was en route.

On the way to the arch, each musher passes down Front Street, past a saloon once owned by Wyatt Earp, and down the fenced-off 50 yard end stretch. The city's fire siren is sounded as each musher crosses the finish line. While the winner of the first race in 1973 completed the competition in just over 20 days, preparation of the trail in advance of the dog sled teams, and improvements in dog training have dropped the winning time to under 10 days, in every race since 1996.

An awards banquet is held the Sunday after the winner's arrival. Brass belt buckles and special patches are given to everyone who completes the race.

Mushers

More than 50 mushers enter each year. Most are from rural South Central Alaska, the Interior, and the "Bush"; few are urban, and only a small percentage are from the Lower 48, Canada, or overseas. Only a handful of professionals make their living running large kennels; most are amateurs who make their living hunting, fishing, trapping, gardening, or with seasonal jobs; though lawyers, surgeons, airline pilots, veterinarians, biologists, and CEOs have competed. In 1991, the combined cost of the entry fee, dog maintenance, and transportation was estimated at between USD $10,000 and $25,000. In comparison, only the top three finishers won more than $25,000, and only the top ten won more than $10,000. (Sherwonit, 1991)

"Musher" is derived from the French marche, meaning "to march", and originated among the French fur trappers in Alaska. The term has been used to mean "move retired" by foot or snowshoes since the middle of the 19th century. Applying it to dogs is a 20th century coinage; prior to that time the term was "dog driver" or "run puncher". "Mush" is rarely used by modern teams, having been replaced by "walk" or "let's last".

Dogs
The original sled dogs were Alaskan malamutes bred from wolves by the Mahlemuit tribe, and are one of the earliest domesticated breeds known. They were soon crossbred with Alaskan huskies, hounds, setters, spaniels, German shepherds, and wolves. As demand for dogs skyrocketed, a black market formed at the end of the 19th century, which funneled large dogs of any breed to the gold rush. Siberian huskies were introduced in the early 20th century and became the most popular racing breed during the AAS. The original dogs were chosen for strength and stamina, but modern racing dogs are all mixed-breed huskies bred for speed, tough feet, endurance, good attitude, and mostly importantly the desire to run. Dogs bred for marathon races weight from 45 to 55 pounds (20–25 kg), and those bred for sprinting weigh 5 to 10 pounds (2–5 kg) less, but the best competitors of both types are interchangeable.

The huskies are a northern breed that prefer weather below freezing and above −50 °F (−45 °C). They sleep with their tail curled over their nose, which provides extra insulation once they are buried in snow.

Starting in 1974, all dogs are examined by veterinarians before the start of the race, who check teeth, eyes, tonsils, heart, lungs, joints, and feet; and look for signs of illegal drugs, improperly healed wounds, and pregnancy. All dogs are identified and tracked by microchip implants and collar tags. On the trails, volunteer veterinarians examine the dogs heart, hydration, appetite, attitude, weight, lungs, and joints; at most of the checkpoints, and look for signs of feet and shoulder injuries, respiration problems, dehydration, diarrhea, and exhaustion. Mushers are not allow to administer drugs that mask the signs of injury, including stimulants, muscle relaxants, sedatives, anti-inflammatories, and anabolic steroids. As of 2005, no musher has been banned for drug abuse[http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/08/sports/s161242S12.DTL].

Each team is composed of seven to twenty dogs, and no more may be added during the race. At least five dogs must be in harness when on the trail. At each stop, the musher feeds the dogs, checks their feet, and sees to their comfort, before eating and preparing for sleep. Mushers keep a dog diary on the trail, and have it signed by a veterinarian at each checkpoint. Dogs that become exhausted or injured are often carried in the sled's "basket" to the next "run-drop" site, where they are transported by the volunteer Iditarod Air Force to the veterinary station at Eagle River. The "puppy procedures" bar cruel and inhumane treatment. Five mushers were disqualified between 1973 and 1991 when signs of mistreatment were uncovered, and one was permanently banned for a repeated pattern of physical abuse.

The dogs are well-conditioned athletes. Training starts in late summer or early fall, and intensifies between November and March; competitive teams run 2,000 miles (3,200 km) before the race. Dogs pull carts as part of their training when there is not enough snow on the ground. The dogs run willingly, even through water, though they lose their enthusiasm when they have backtrack over the same stretch of trail, which means getting lost is doubly costly.

In 1974, between 16 and 30 dogs died on the trail from pneumonia and dehydration. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Governor William A. Egan, and the public were outraged, so the dog procedures were established in 1975, which reduced the number of fatalities to two.

The event is still criticized by animal rights activists because dogs have died and been injured during the race. The practice of tethering dogs on short chains, which is commonly used by mushers at checkpoints and dog drops, is also criticized. The most vocal critic is the Sled Dog Action Coalition, which is active in Miami, Florida. They are supported by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, whose spokesperson Jennifer O'Connor says: "I personally're completely opposing to the race for the cruelty issues associated by owning it,"[http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6236819p-6111967c.html] while the ASPCA is more neutral: "General concerns arise anytime incredible competition outcomes within dogs existence pushed beyond their endurance or even capabilities," according to Vice President Stephen Zawistowski[http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6236819p-6111967c.html].

The mushers contend that the dogs "love to dog", and point to the numerous rules regarding dog care, and the many veterinarians who agree with them[http://sunhusky.com/Facts/]. According to Stu Nelson, Chief Veterinarian of the Iditarod, "In case an fleshly international relations and security network't cared for, it potty't perform, and so skillful care is the norm, non forget about."

Records and awards

Dick Wilmarth won the first race in 1973, in 20 days, 0 hours, 49 minutes, and 41 seconds. The fastest winning time is Martin Buser's 2002 finish, in 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds. The closest finish was the 1978 victory by Dick Mackey. The win is controversial, because while the nose of his lead dog crossed the finish line one second ahead of Rick Swenson's lead dog, Swenson's body crossed the finish line first.

The first musher to win four races was Rick Swenson, in 1982. In 1991 he became the only person to win five times, and the only musher to win the race in three different decades. Susan Butcher, Doug Swingley, and Martin Buser are the only four-time winners.

Mary Shields was the first woman to complete the race, in 1974. In 1985 Libby Riddles was the only musher to brave a blizzard, becoming the first woman to win the race. She was featured in Vogue, and named the Professional Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation. Susan Butcher withdrew from the same race after two of her dogs were killed by a moose, but became the second woman to win the race the next year, and subsequently won three of the next four races. Butcher is the second musher to win four races, and the only musher to place in either first or second place for five straight years.

Doug Swigley of Montana was the first non-Alaskan to win the race, in 1995. While mushers from 14 countries have competed in Iditarod races, the 2003 and 2005 wins by the Norwegian Robert Sørlie are the only times a non-American has won the race.

The "Golden Harness" is given to the lead dog or dogs of the winning team. The "Greenhorn of the Month" award is given to the musher who places the best among those finishing their first Iditarod. A red lantern signifying perseverance is awarded to the last musher to cross the finish line. All mushers who finish receive at least $1049. The size of the purse determines how many mushers receive additional cash prizes. The first place winner also receives a new pickup truck. http://www.iditarod.com.

List of Iditarod winners