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It's called "The Last Great Race on Earth." It is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The dogs and their owner race from Anchorage on the first Saturday in March, and head for Nome. Most make the 1,049 mile race in about two weeks. It is the highlight of the end of winter. Thousands of people turn out to see the start and finish,and cheer on competitors along the way. Of course, the trail is grueling, and much of the trail is out of the general public's reach.
The race commemorates the race to get the deptheria serum to Nome back in 1925. The town of Nome was on the verge of loosing much of its population to an epidemic. The only way to stop it was to get a serum to the city. And, the only way to get there was by dogsled. The serum was taken to Nenana by train, then experienced mushers ran their sled teams to Nome. A trip that normally took months, was completed in a matter of days.
Now each year about 65 racers complete the same path, except they start from Anchorage. Anchorage hosts the Spring Carnival at the same time, to help kick off the race.
The race was dominated by men until the late 1980's. That's when Libby Riddles won the Iditarod. She took a risk, going ahead in a horrible gale force wind storm. Although she only gained a few miles, it was enough to win the race. Since then, Susan Butcher has won the Iditarod several times. She is the only person to win the even in a record time of 11 days. She is also the only person to win three consecutive times.
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