News and Information
The Iditarod family says goodbye to a dear friend and race volunteer, Norma Delia. Norma passed away on March 12th, day seven of Iditarod XLIV. Norma and Joe (also deceased) lived in Skwentna for most of their married life and made their homestead available to the Iditarod for use as a checkpoint. Both Norma and …
Unalakleet is a village of about 700 people located on the Bering Sea. It marks one end of the portage trail that leads to the Yukon River used for trading in the 1800s by the Russians, the local natives and interior natives. Unalakleet is known for its wind. As a matter of fact, the …
The order of business for Saturday at McGrath was moving people to new locations and new assignments. I’m moving to Unalakleet, the first village on the Bering Sea. From all information we can see through race stats, Insider and GPS Tracker it would appear the Brent Sass will collect the First to the Gold Coast …
This morning (Monday) teams are passing through Finger Lake Checkpoint. Nicholas Petit was the first team to arrive at 0334. Hugh Neff was on his heals. They’ve had a busy morning there. Thirteen mushers are on their way to Rainy Pass and roughy 30 are resting on the lake in front of Winterlake Lodge. The …
Tradition: custom, practice, ritual or habit. Iditarod is full of traditions. Each checkpoint has its own special observances. Mushers and volunteers have their own unique habits. Winterlake Lodge located on Finger Lake, Iditarod’s third checkpoint at mile 123, is no exception when it comes to Iditarod tradition. The Dixon family, owners and hosts extraordinaire …
It’s race day and Iditarod action moves north to Willow. Volunteers are hard at work making ready for the mushers as well as the throng of spectators who’ll cheer as teams take to the trail this afternoon. The early checkpoints on the trail, Yentna Skwentna, Finger Lake, Rainey Pass and even Rohn, have been populated …
The Iditarod Trail Committee has selected Joanne Potts to be the Honorary Musher for Iditarod XLIV. Her association with Iditarod began in 1975 when a neighbor asked if she’d like to volunteer for the race. Being fairly new to Alaska at the time, Joanne didn’t even know what Iditarod was. Over the past forty years, …
Fast into the Night is a story of a woman, her dogs and their Iditarod journey. Written by Iditarod veteran Debbie Moderow, the story portrays the emotional peaks and valleys that go along with setting ones sights on Nome. For the Moderows, mushing has been a family affair. Debbie, husband Mark and their children Andy …
The 2016 Iditarod Poster is the 40th in the series of posters created by Jon Van Zyle, Official Iditarod Artist. Iditarod fans have coveted Van Zyle’s Iditarod posters ever since 1977. Forty is a monumental milestone to be celebrated by both the artist and the people who enjoy his Iditarod based works. Painting what …
Running a marathon sled dog race like the Iditarod or Yukon Quest starts with a dream that eventually comes true with a lot of planning, preparation, practice and perseverance. When I met Laura Neese, she was standing with her dogs at Nature’s Kennel in the UP of Michigan and one might say she was living …
