Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race starts March 4

Photo By Staff Sgt. Javier Alvarez | Wade Marrs, an Iditarod musher, waves at fans and spectators at the 45th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska, March 4, 2017. More than 1,150 dogs pulled 72 mushers for the day’s 11 mile run to Campbell Airstrip. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez)  

ANCHORAGE, AK, UNITED STATES

03.01.2017

Story by Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez 

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson   

All are invited to cheer on mushers as they are propelled on canine-powered sleds at the ceremonial start to the 45th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, at 10 a.m. March 4. Opening ceremonies begin at 9:30 at the corner of 4th Ave. and D Street.

For 11 miles, more than 1,150 dogs will pull 72 mushers for the day’s run to Campbell Airstrip.

Forty-nine hours from their initial start, race teams will find themselves transplanted to Fairbanks, Alaska, where mushers and their furry companions will again meet the sound of uproarious celebration at the re-start to the race.

Race routes alternate every year between northern and southern passages. The trails, which hold historical significance, were at one time used to deliver mail and supplies as well as transport gold during the Alaska gold rush of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A third route, which has been used to off set less-than-ideal weather conditions twice before, will again be used for this year’s race.

“It’s always a bad-news, good-news scenario when we are forced to take any portion of this race off the traditional historic Iditarod trail,” said Stan Hooley, Iditarod Trail Committee chief executive officer. “The bad news being having to do that. The good news is we know we have an eager excited and capable community in our friends at Fairbanks – they are eager to make it happen.”

The projected 15-degree weather for Saturday’s race is likely a welcome start for what dog teams will endure in the coming days.

The “Last Great Race” is one which tests the bond between man and man’s best friend.

Sled teams will cross treacherous territory, valiantly enduring frigid temperatures and potential blizzards. They traverse mountain ranges and the flat tundra through mostly unpopulated terrain before finally arriving in Nome. Athletes will cover 997 miles in a race which has been completed in a speedy 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds, and has taken others as long as 32 days, 15 hours, 9 minutes and 1 second.

The Iditarod’s first female champion, Libby Riddles, famously trekked through a treacherous blizzard in the Norton Sound region during the 1985 race. Libby methodically directed her team into the storm, and with precision braved the elements to come in first place.

“The Iditarod is an event that galvanizes all Alaskans,” Hooley said. “It’s a part of the state’s heritage. … It’s a celebration of the coming of spring and a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Thankfully most Alaskans embrace this race.”

The sport, synonymous with Alaska, is unlike any other one can experience in the Lower 48. Service members stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson might consider adding a trip to the ceremonial start of the Iditarod to their calendar – for what might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

• Date Taken: 03.01.2017
• Date Posted: 03.01.2017 20:48
• Story ID: 225404
• Location: ANCHORAGE, AK, US