Watch Greg Heister explain some of the features and access levels of the new Iditarod web site. More information about subscribing to the Iditarod Insider can be found here.

From the 1987 Trail Annual Prior to the 1978 race, three young ladies were in training for the Iditarod.  Susan Butcher, Varona Thompson, and Shelley Gill  Vandiver.  To get in practice for the conditions that would be faced during the race, Susan decided to go for a swim in a hole in the ice at [...]

Kenneth Huston of the Sheffield Hotel in Anchorage, flew to Nome prior to the 1984 Nome Banquet with 700 pounds of meat, gallons and gallons of salads, crates of cauliflower, cases of green beans and 25 flats of fresh strawberries. Kenneth was a chef and his job when arriving in Nome was to cook for [...]

Remembering 40 Years of Iditarod… On January 20, 1981, Joe Redington, Sr., Herbie Nayokpuk, and Col. Norman Vaughan represented Alaska in the inaugural parade for President Ronald Reagan.  The residents of Washington D.C. and everyone at the parade got to see three Alaskan dog teams mushing down Pennsylvania Avenue.  The teams, arranged in a “V” [...]

By Ed Ward I wouldn’t have thought that the Iditarod “Ultimate Experience” could possibly be an understatement.  Then I tried it. Now, months later, still organizing the hundreds of photos and the hours of video, it’s the memories that aren’t captured in pictures and videos that are the hardest to sort out.  Most of them [...]

The honorary musher for the 1988 Iditarod was “Muktuk” Marston.  Elsie Marston, his wife, led the pre race festivities and cut the ribbon at the start of the race.  “Muktuk’s” nick name came due to his success in a muktuk eating contest.  Marston was very active in working towards Alaska’s statehood. Placing 15th in the [...]

Gordon Brinker placed 44th in the 1988 Iditarod. His time was 18:07:44:07.  Gordon came to Alaska from Oregon in 1979.  He lived in Shell Lake- where the historic Iditarod Trail ran right behind his house, which prompted a natural interest in racing.  The Shell Lake musher was a surveyor for F. Robert Bell and Associates in [...]

Jan Masek placed 12th in the 1988 Iditarod.  Masek escaped from Czechoslovakia in as stolen race car.  He came to the United States in 1967.  Masek began mushing in 1969.  During the 1984 race, Masek married Beverly Jerue of Anvik at the Finger Lake Checkpoint at the home of Gene and June Leonard.  That year, on [...]

Anne Patch of Homer was the administrative coordinator for the 1982 Iditarod.  She also served in that capacity in 1981 so brought a wealth of experience to the job in 1982. As administrative coordinator, Anne was in charge of the headquarters across the state, the mushers’ banquet in Anchorage, the awards ceremony in Nome, and [...]

Jack Hooker, Montana, in the 1977 Iditarod Trail Annual recalled that he had a strange experience when he left Shaktoolik during the 1976 race.  He’d stayed overnight there and while hooking up the dogs to leave the next morning, he saw people on their way to church for a funeral.  As he mushed out of [...]