Frozen Paws and Gritty Resolve: The Iditarod Journey

[MediacomErin]

Copilot(2024)Imagine yourself on a sled pulled by 8 of the best huskies in Alaska. You have ridden for miles and miles, coaching your dogs to push themselves as your glide through snow, rough terrain, and bone chilling temperatures.  

Right now, this is the reality for 38 mushers and their teams as they participate in the 2024 Iditarod. We are a bit late to the party as this started on March 8th, but don't worry! I will catch you up as well as give you some history on this event! 

Despite popular belief that the Iditarod is based of the Serum Run of 1925, this event has a rich history and several historic events have influenced the Iditarod, making it the thing it is today. 

- In the early 20th Century, the Iditarod Trail was initially used by Native Americans for travel and hunting. It was later used to deliver supplies and mail to remote parts of Alaska as well. 

-In the 1960's, the use of snowmobiles became more and more popular and practice of dog sledding saw a decline. To preserve the culture of dog sledding, the Wasilla-Knik Centennial Committee, led by Dorothy Page and supported by Joe Redington Sr, planned a sled dog race along the historic Iditarod Trail. 

-In 1967 and 1969, the first races known as the Centennial Races were held to commemorate Alaska's 100th anniversary as a US territory. 

-In 1973, the modern long-distance  Iditarod race was established, running from Anchorage to Nome. The race was established to preserve the sled dog culture and the historic trail. Dick Wilmarth was the winner of the first race and t9ook three weeks to reach Nome. 

-Today the Iditarod embodies Alaska's frontier spirit, the mushing culture, and the grit and will power of both humans and canines. 

Now that we have learned something, stick around for daily updates, leader board, and fun facts about the race! 

You can get even more information as well as live updates and trail views at iditarod.com 

[MediacomErin]

Since our update this morning, we have some other mushers that have finished the race! Paige Drobny, Travis Beals, Mille Porslild, Amanda Otto, Peter Kaiser, and Jessie Royer have also made it safely into Nome! There are currently 7 mushers checked in to White Mountain as well. White Mountain is approximately 77 miles from Nome and is a crucial checkpoint for mushers and their dogs as they take on the final leg of the race coming into Nome. 

As we talked about earlier, for the Iditarod, the last musher is just as important as the musher that takes frst place. Currently last place is occupied by Bryce Mumford. Mumford hails from Idaho and is participating in his first Iditarod this year. This has become a family affair with his kids particpating in junior races and his father as his handler! 

[MediacomErin]

Hello sled dog fans! 

Since our last update, 20 of the 30 mushers have made it safely to Nome! Now if you have visited the website and checked out the race logs, at the bottom you will see mushers out of the race. This year there have been 9 that have scratched. Let's take about how your Iditarod journey can end without finishing. 

There are three ways your Iditarod can end besides cruising into Nome with your team! 

- Scratched: If a musher scratches, this means that they made the decision on their own to end the race. This is normally done to prioritize the health of their dogs and/or themselves. If there is damage to the sled or other equipment needed to run the race, that could be a reason as well. 

-Withdrawn: If a musher is withdrawn from the race, it does not necessarily mean they did anything wrong. A panel of 3 judges over sees the Iditarod and to be withdrawn from the event, 2 of 3 judges must agree on grounds for withdrawal. One reason for withdrawal is the team is not being competitive and is far behind the other teams. This is much less common than a scratch. 

- Disqualification: This is the least common way a musher does not finish the race and the most serious. All 3 judges must agree to disqualify a musher. Some grounds for disqualification are cheating, breaking rules (ignoring required layovers or checkpoints), or abusing the dogs. If abuse of the team is suspected, the chief vet is consulted and before a decision is made, they have a chance to plead their case before the panel. Other things such a violent charges can influence a musher being able to race as the event has a very strict code of conduct. 

Come back tomorrow for more updates as we await the last musher to make it to Nome! 

[MediacomErin]

Good morning sled dog lovers! 

The 2024 Iditarod has come to a close! The Red Lantern Award, which uis given to the last musher to close into Nome, went to rookie musher Jeff Reid. 

Musher Jeff ReidJeff Reid is a  canine lover and former Navy Seal. During his time in the military, he rescued a dog in Afghanistan named Frank. Frank was tragically killed in a car accident. After the loss of Frank, Jeff feared he may never reconnect with a dog again. After reading the book " Winterdance" which centers on the Iditarod, Jeff was inspired to move to Alaska to embark on his own Iditarod Journey. He worked for a kennel as a handler which morphed into the opening of his own kennel, Frozen Trident. For a few years him and his wife juggled growing their kennel and family. After the 30o mile qualifying race, Jeff joined the other mushers on this years Iditarod Trail. He was the final musher to come into Nome this year at 2:22am with 7 dogs in tow. He was presented with the Red Lantern Award in Nome and given the honor of extinguishing the window lantern. The window lantern signifies no musher was left on the trail!