#82
The Iditarod
Published or Updated February 25, 2019
Location: United States
Sport: Dog Racing
Level: Professional
Also Known As: The Last Great Race on Earth
Sport: Dog Racing
Level: Professional
Also Known As: The Last Great Race on Earth
Event Type: Race
First Held: 1973
Next Up: 3/2/2019-3/17/2019
First Held: 1973
Next Up: 3/2/2019-3/17/2019
When and Where: every March from Anchorage to Nome, AK
Colder winds have never blown than those that whip across the Alaskan tundra, beating the land into frozen submission on this storied arctic trail.
First officially held in 1973, the Iditarod begins on the first Saturday in March and can last as many as fifteen days, with the record time for the race clocking in at just over eight days and 22 hours.
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Facts and Links
1978 Photo Finish - 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
1991 - Rick Swenson became the only person to win five times and the only musher to win the race in three different decades.
1974 - Mary Shields was the first woman to complete the race, in 1974
1985 - 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.
Red Lantern - Often the "Red Lantern" is confused with the "Widow's Lamp." They are not the same. An article several years ago in Alaska magazine states that the first red lantern was awarded in the 1953 Fur Rendezvous Raceナ Awarded to the Last
Widow's Lamp - In keeping with that tradition, the Iditarod Trail Committee will light a "Widow's Lamp" at 10:00 a.m., on the first Sunday in March, in Nome at the trail's end. It is attached to the Burled Arch, the official finish line.
Dogs - The teams average 16 dogs, which means over 1,000 dogs leave Anchorage for Nome
Checkpoints - There are 26 checkpoints on the northern route, the first in Anchorage and the last in Nome. On the southern route, there are 27 checkpoints.
Links
Quotes
"To Lead the Iditarod under a full moon without feeling rushed, or looking over my shoulder, it was a wonderful evening."
Jeff King