People, Places, or Dogs
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 …
Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ Laura Wright of Austin, Texas has arrived in Alaska. Her race to Nome began 9 days before the start of Iditarod when she presented to twenty-five students at the Trapper Creek Elementary School. Laura is a 4th grade teacher from Austin, Texas. She was selected for the 2016 Iditarod Teacher …
Math + Science + Art = Photo. That’s the basic formula for picture taking but the person behind the camera makes the difference in the photo being great, just average or one to be deleted. Capturing a picture that’s worth a thousand words is a great challenge in the variable conditions experienced in the world …
Twenty-seven year old Ryne Olson has registered for the 2016 Iditarod. Olson completed her rookie Iditarod run in 2012. Since then she’s competed in the Yukon Quest 300 mile event and in 2015 she added the Yukon Quest 1,000 miles to her list of accomplishments. Use this link to view the Insider interview with Ryne …
Rick Casillo has finished Iditarod seven times including his rookie run in 2004. He’s back for the the trip to Nome in 2016. Casillo finished in 57th place in his rookie run. Over his seven year career he’s improved to 26th place. When he made the Burled arch in 2015, there was a very unexpected …
