Martin Buser taking good care of his injured right hand in 2005

In 2005, Martin Buser wasn’t shaking hands with fans at the Ceremonial Start.  Note that his right hand is mittened and elevated.  Only four days before the start of Iditarod, Martin reconfigured his index finger on a table saw.  The medically correct term would be “partial amputation.”  Martin underwent surgery and was advised by his medical team to sit the race out.  Buser is a very determined man and chose to run Iditarod saying his dogs are ready and deserve the opportunity.  Besides that, he still had three working fingers on his right hand and he’s left handed.  Buser finished the 2005 Iditarod in 13th place.  

Swiss born Buser first tested Iditarod waters in 1980.  He ran again in 1981.  He’s completed every race since entering again in 1986.  That’s thirty-one consecutive runs and a career total of 33 Iditarod finishes. He’s finished in the top ten nineteen times.  Martin is a four time Iditarod Champion taking victory number one in 1992 and following suit in ’94, ’97 and 2002.  Buser took the oath of citizenship and became a US citizen under Nome’s Burled Arch a day after he won his fourth Iditarod title.  

Buser has authored Dog Man: Chronicles of an Iditarod Champion.  The story of his 2005 injury and race is included.  

Watch for more Telephoto Story posts.  Having worked as a volunteer for the race for twelve years and having my camera handy every hour of every day, my Iditarod photo library contains roughly 20,000 pictures.  Seems like sharing photos periodically all year long with a brief description to tell a photo story is a great way to share favorite photos and unique pieces of Iditarod history with Iditarod fans, family and friends.  Enjoy and comeback soon for another Telephoto Story.