Locals call it the ‘Superbowl of the North’. The world-famous sled-dog race begins this year on March 1 and tasks mushers with trekking roughly 1,000 miles across the snowy Alaskan wilderness with a team of about 12 dogs. Each tries to set the fastest time from Anchorage to Nome. But as strange as it might seem, Alaskan natives view the Iditarod as a premier sporting event.
What Is This?
This is a dog sled race from Willow, Alaska, to Nome, Alaska. However, the festivities begin in Anchorage the day before the race begins. With the race come many parties. The idea of being a state with no notable sports team does not bother Alaskans; they have the Iditarod! Alongside the race are tailgate parties, people grabbing hot dogs and beers, corporate parties, and cheering sections. Dress warm because the temperatures are often in the negatives. Nevertheless, local patrons align the snow-packed roadways with cheering each sled on. At the end of the race, each participant is greeted as a winner!
The race commemorates a dogsled bringing medicine to the sick in 1925 in only 5.5 days. Currently, it is how Alaskans get involved as one community. Everyone from young schoolchildren to older residents is involved in this sporting event.
When Is This?
The race begins on Saturday, March 1, in Anchorage. Participants travel only about an hour to Willow, where the race officially begins the following day. The course can be completed in 8-15 days depending on the weather.
Join?
While you may not raise the proper dog to enter this competition, you can still enjoy the fun. Each year, an IditaRider auction is held where fans can bid to be a rider in a mushers’ sled from the start line for the first 11 miles from Anchorage to Willow. This auction opens on December 1 and closes at a specific time and date in January each year. The money raised is used to offset expenses of the race and to provide each musher who finishes the race after the top 20 (who receive cash prize winnings), with $1,049. This helps the mushers get their teams home.
