There are no World Championship Sled Dog Races or Iditarod Ceremonial start in Downtown Anchorage this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep the sled dog racing spirit alive, a scavenger hunt to find the sled dogs downtown will take place March 3 – 6. Each sled dog was designed by 17 different …
This February will mark the 44th running of the Jr. Iditarod. The Junior, just like the Iditarod, began as a dream. It was Joe Redington who dreamed of a long distance race across Alaska to commemorate the place of the sled dog in the history of Alaska and bring recognition to the Historic Iditarod Trail. …
Mushers have just completed food drops in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Earlier in February straw was bagged and placed on pallets to be ready for shipping, likewise with HEET and lath. Preparations for Iditarod XLIX are moving along. As race fans, how are you preparing for the race? Since the first of the year there …
By Kimberly Henneman, DVM, DACVSMR (EQ, K9) Animal Health VIPS (Veterinary Integrative & Performance Specialists) Marathon or distance sled dogs run and pull sleds in a variety of conditions that include spending nights out on the trail. Sometimes those conditions can change quickly, going from sunny and above freezing to snowing and well below …
Over the last decade, as human diet trends have become more popular, so too have specialty pet foods. Just as people seek out the latest paleo, keto, or high-octane juice cleanse recipe, pet owners are also drawn to “premium,” or “holistic,” or “carnivore-based” diets. One of the most popular trends in the dog food market …
Most sled dogs are part of a kennel, with anywhere from 10 to over 100 huskies living in a dog yard. This is the environment that many people picture when they envision the living quarters of a typical sled dog. However, many people don’t know that sled dogs can be great indoor pets. You …
Straw, HEET and trail markers for Iditarod 2021 Gold Trail Loop are ready to ship out to checkpoints. Volunteers bagged the straw, organized cases of HEET and thousands of lath trail markers, placed them on pallets then shrink wrapped the goods making it ready for shipping. What goes on behind the scenes to make this …
While the Iditarod believes the future does not belong to the fainthearted, we take the health and well-being of our racers, volunteers, staff, and spectators very seriously. After consulting with our stakeholders and in consultation with the Municipality of Anchorage, we decided to cancel our traditional ceremonial start in Anchorage due to the COVID-19 …
Have you ever wondered where the word or name Iditarod came from? I’ve heard 3 explanations. First, Iditarod was a word used by Athabascans that meant FAR DISTANT PLACE. Second, Iditarod was a word from another indigenous language that meant CLEAR WATER. Finally, a ROD is a measure of distance and so one miner might …
Master of the Yentna Station Roadhouse, Dan Gabryszak, succumbed to cancer on January 12, 2021 just eight days after being diagnosed. Dan and his wife Jean have called the lodge on the big bend of the Yentna River home for forty years. Early on, the Jr. Iditarod asked the Gabryszaks to host a checkpoint and …
