Alaska’s Iditarod: A Look at its History and Fun Facts You May Not Know

Most likely, everyone has heard of Alaska’s Iditarod. It is held every year in early March and while you may not be aware of when it starts, you’ve likely heard who wins the race in a brief news report. As a Seattle-based company with strong ties to Alaska, Alaska Air Forwarding has always taken an interest in everything that happens in Alaska; including Alaska’s Great Race, The Iditarod. We’d like to share with you a little about the history of the race along with some fun facts you may not know.

IDITAROD’S HISTORY

The first official Iditarod race was held in March of 1973, however, the idea for the race began as early as 1967 when Alaskans Dorothy Page and Joe & Vi Reddington Sr. began discussing a race that would mark the 100th Anniversary of Alaska being a US territory. In addition to marking this anniversary, it was also an opportunity to bring attention to the historic Iditarod trail and take steps to preserve the sled dog culture, which was beginning to decline throughout the state. The three got to work; Dorothy immersed herself in research about the Iditarod trail; Joe and Vi began assembling a group of volunteers to help make it happen. A 56 mile stretch of trail was cleared between Knik and Big Lake and the race was held in 1967 and again in 1969.

Although interest waned in the following years, Joe Reddington continued to pursue his dream of a long-distance race. Eventually, he met fellow mushers Tom Johnson and Gleo Hyuck and the three men started what is now known as The Iditarod. The race trail commemorates both the old freight route to Nome as well as the sled dog, which played a major role in settling Alaska in the early days. The Iditarod trail was the major thoroughfare through Alaska. Mail was carried across the trail and people used the trail to get from place to place. Interestingly enough, the trail terrain is so rugged it is actually impassable except during the winter when dog teams were the only means of transportation along the trail.

Since 1973, the Iditarod has continued to grow, and has become so well known that the top mushers receive corporate sponsorships and are paid thousands of dollars for their efforts. Additionally, many make a very nice living from their breeding and raising sled dog pups.

IDITAROD FUN FACTS

The First official Iditarod race began March 3, 1973
The race begins on the First Saturday in March of every year
The Iditarod single-handedly saved Dog Sledding
Only Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamute dogs are allowed to race; these two breeds are best designed for the extreme cold temperatures.
The dogs need to consume between 10,000 and 12,000 calories per day
Each sled team is pulled by a team of 16 dogs
The trail is over 1000 miles in distance and the race alternates between the Northern course and the Southern course every year.
There are a total of 26 checkpoints along the trail and the dogs are fed at each checkpoint.
The dogs wear booties and the drivers are required to have at least 8 extra pair of booties PER DOG!
Both men and women race in the Iditarod
Susan Butcher was the first woman to win the race in 1986 and went on to win three more races for a total of four: 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990
The youngest person to ever win was Dallas Seavey who was 18 at the start of his race
The oldest person to win was Col. Norman Vaughn, who was 87
Rick Swenson is the only person to ever win the Iditarod five times
The race takes about 10 days
The fastest time was recorded at 8 days, 14 hours and 19 minutes
The slowest time was recorded at 32 days in the early days of the race; now it is about 13 days
It has been a race tradition to light a lantern at the finish line in Nome when the race begins and leave it lit until the last finisher crosses the line. In the early days, this was a means of keeping track of all those who were racing and determine if there were any who did not return from the trail.
The last place finisher gets the prize of the “red lantern.” A prized possession marking the finish of a long and challenging race.
Joe Reddington Sr. is considered the father of the Iditarod. It was his vision and constant effort that made this race a reality. He participated in the 25th Anniversary Iditarod in 1997 when he was 80 years old. He passed away in June of 1999. His name is still called at every Iditarod Board meeting and his absence is excused because “Joe is on the trail.”

Editor’s Note: The 2018 Iditarod will commence on Saturday, March 3. As soon as we have information on this year’s winner, we will share on our Facebook page.