Hello Friends, One of the things I pay close attention to as I watch the 2019 Iditarod is how many canines the mushers come into the checkpoint with and how many they leave with. The ones left behind are called “dropped dogs”. They are dropped for various reasons, sore wrists or shoulders, not eating well, …
Hello friends, 52 teams are on the trail for the 2019 Iditarod. What excitement there was at the start of the race. Typically teams start on the ice, but this year they moved the actual start line to land because of the recent heavy snowfall and some possible overflow. It was fun seeing the teams …
Hello friends, Aaah-ooooooh! In less than a week my canine friends and their human mushers will be racing in the Last Great Race – the Iditarod. This year’s race will be on the Southern Route. What does that mean? It is 2019, an odd number year, so the teams take the Southern Route. (There have …
Hello friends, I have a question from my new human friend Charlie. He asked, …
Hello Friends, Each year the humans on the Iditarod Board of Directors review the rules to see where changes can be made to help make the race safe for humans and canines alike. Brayden and Vivienne noticed that Rule 17 states that “the maximum number of dogs a musher may start the race with is fourteen …
Hello Friends, As my paws touch the computer there are 30 days until the 2019 Iditarod begins. Aaah-ooooooh! My canine friends can’t wait to get their paws on the trail. There are currently 52 mushers starting with Cindy Abbot through Aliy Zirkle getting ready to run the race. Their drop bags have been filled and …
Hello friends, LOTS of things happening here in Alaska! On Friday (November 30) morning the Anchorage area was hit with a 6.9 magnitude earthquake. Even my friends as far away as Fairbanks could feel the tremors. Here at Iditarod Headquarters we closed for the day since roads were dangerous and we wanted to keep everyone …
Hello Friends, Putting on a race like the Iditarod takes a LOT of effort. Many people are in our offices year round – working and planning for the Last Great Race. One person who has been working since June is our new Teacher on the Trail, Brian Hickox. Brian is an 8th grade English teacher …
Hello friends, Here it is . . . the end of another Iditarod. Lots of my K9 friends crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome with happy faces and tail wags. 52 teams finished the race with Joar Leifseth Ulsom claiming first and Magnus Kaltenborn claiming the Red Lantern. The Finisher’s Banquet was held Sunday …
Hello friends, “Joar Leifseth Ulsom, welcome to Nome!” This was the announcement overheard in the streets of Nome at 3:00 AM Alaska Time. Woowoowoooo! It was a nice looking dog team of 8 dogs that crossed the finish line. They had smiles on their faces and tails in the air. Joar won over $50,000 and …
