The Iditarod​—Ten Centuries in the Making

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN ALASKA

CRANING our necks, we peer down the main street in town. There is a crowd of people here, along with media cameras and equipment. All of us look toward the end of the street. We await the first glimpse of the winner of “The Iditarod​—The Last Great Race” here at the finish line in Nome, Alaska.

The world’s most famous sled dog race, of some 1,100 [1,800 km] miles, has actually lasted more than ten days. Last year the time was listed as a few hours over nine days. Since the first 24 hours of the race, a ceremonial start, are not counted in the official time this year, the times are not comparable. Dozens of mushers from various countries entered, including veterans of other races.

Imagine spending some ten days or more, mostly alone, in an inhospitable wilderness. You have to traverse mountain passes; icy gorges; tundra; broad, frozen river highways; and rugged sea ice and endure subzero temperatures as you constantly move toward your destination here at Nome.

We note the excitement generated by this display of courage and cooperation between man and dog, and we wonder, ‘Where did this all start?’

The Heritage of Dog Mushing

Where do the words “mushing” and “musher” come from? These terms originated when the Canadian Northwest was being settled. The French-​Canadian dog drivers shouted: “Ma-a-r-r-che!” To the English settlers in Canada, the word sounded like “Mush!” A dog driver then became known as a musher.

While modern sled dog racing is a relatively new pastime, sled dogs have been used for at least a thousand years. Originally, dogs and sleds were used primarily to transport goods over the snowy, barren northern expanses of the earth. The first written record of dogs being used to pull sleds is found in Arabian literature dating to the tenth century. Some authorities feel that it was the Chukchi people in Siberia who first relied on dog and sled to any extent.

It was gold that paved the way of the original Iditarod Trail. In 1908 gold was found in an area where Athapaskan Indians hunted caribou. They called this area Haiditarod, meaning “the distant place,” later Anglicized to Iditarod. As a result, a 1,100-​mile [1,800 km] trail to Nome was developed, running through the town of Iditarod. In time, it became known as the Iditarod Trail.

During the gold rush in Alaska and Canada, dog sleds moved equipment, mail, and gold through the immense wilderness. One report has it that late in 1911, four dog teams transported 2,600 pounds [1,200 kg] of gold in one shipment along the Iditarod Trail, arriving at Knik, Alaska, on January 10, 1912.

Modern Sled Dog Racing Born

In the gold rush era, with so many dog teams operating, it was common for dog punchers, as handlers were called, to believe that their team or lead dog was perhaps the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest. As a result, competitions were frequent. Then, in Nome, in 1908, the first organized sled dog race was held, the All-​Alaska Sweepstakes. This forerunner of modern sled dog racing prepared those mushers for yet another race​—not to win a prize of gold but to save lives.

The 1925 Nome Serum Run

The historic Nome Serum Run was a sled dog race against death. In January 1925, diphtheria broke out in Nome. Because of the threat of an epidemic, a supply of serum had to reach Nome promptly. A relay of 20 dog punchers and their teams was organized. The first team departed from Nenana with the temperature registering minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit [-46°C], thus starting a relay of runs between villages that were usually 30 to 50 miles [50-80 km] apart. Most of this was in the dark, as Arctic daylight at that time of year is only three or four hours long.

The more than 674 miles [1,080 km] to Nome was covered in 5 1/3 days​—a trip that normally required 25 days. The mushers drove through raging blizzards with windchill factors of minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit [-57°C] or lower. So great was this feat that U.S. president Calvin Coolidge issued a medal and a certificate to each participant.

Lead Dogs

The lead dog of a team is very important. Very few dogs qualify as leader. You must remember that depending upon the number of dogs in a team, the lead dog may be from 50 to 70 feet [15-20 m] or even more in front of the musher. In the dark or in whiteout conditions, or when going around corners, the lead dog may be totally out of the sight of the musher. Therefore, it is up to this dog to sniff out the trail and follow it or select the safest route and to make other moment-​by-​moment choices, independent of its master.

Last year, musher DeeDee Jonrowe from Alaska, the number two finisher the year before, had to drop Barkley, her most reliable lead dog. That was a serious blow to her team. Two years ago, Lavon Barve, a ten-​time Iditarod musher, had to leave the race 229 miles [369 km] short of Nome, hoarse from constantly yelling commands to his pair of inexperienced lead dogs.

To praise the lead dog is not to say that the musher does little to direct his team. On the contrary, he is very much in command, directing by means of shouted orders, “gee” (right), “haw” (left), or “whoa” (stop). The “mush” of yesteryear has generally been replaced with the common football term “hike” or simply “let’s go.” These or similar phrases put the team into motion and direct its actions. Such commands, supplemented by a rather impressive snow hook, a type of anchor pressed into the snow to prevent overly anxious dogs from starting before it is time, usually keep the team under control.

The word “usually” is employed here because musher Mark Nordman from Minnesota might momentarily argue about lead dog dependability or team responsiveness to commands. In a recent race, just short of a checkpoint, he stopped his team to straighten out some tangled lines. As he worked, the dogs twisted in their lines, freeing the gangline, the metal tow cable from the sled to which each dog is attached, and the dogs started to run. As the team moved out, Mark made a dive for the line, catching it just behind the last dogs. (To lose your team in the wilderness can be a very serious matter.) For the next quarter of a mile [1/2 km], he was both snowplow and water-​skier as his team dragged him through snowdrift and river overflow. His parka scooped up water, and ice accumulated under his chin as he slid along behind his team, all the time yelling commands to stop. The dogs finally heeded, and he walked back to retrieve his abandoned sled. So much​—at that moment—​for lead-​dog obedience!

However, circumstances exist when there are happier outcomes for lead-​dog dependability. During the Iditarod, sleep is at a premium. When the trail is straight and flat, there are times that the musher may turn the team over to the lead dog while the musher catches a nap in the sled. All the while, the dogs continue at a lively pace toward their destination, Nome.

At times, on a good trail, a team can easily trot at between 11 and 12 miles per hour [18 to 19 km/​hr] or can speed at 20 miles per hour [30 km/​hr] for shorter periods. The average is much less, but they often cover 100 miles [160 km] in a day. One champion team averaged about 4.5 miles per hour [7 km/​hr] over the full ten-​day race.

The Alaskan Sled Dog

Some wonder if the sled dogs are not perhaps mistreated, being exploited by man. Recognizing the abuse that at times man has heaped upon animals, this concern is not unreasonable.

The sled dogs do appear to take to their task with enthusiasm, as the starting line is filled with their barks​—each dog giving voice to its desire to be on the trail. So eager are some dogs to go that one team of ten pulled at their harnesses with such vigor that they dragged the pickup truck they were tied to​—and the truck was in gear with the parking brake on!

The mushers are very solicitous of the welfare of their animals. At stops, a good part of the time is spent preparing food for the dogs and spreading straw to insulate them in their snowy beds, as well as checking their bootees, which protect their paws, and tending to any that are cut. Rest for the musher on the Iditarod may be snatches of one and a half to two hours at any one time, though there is one mandatory 24-​hour stop where mushers may get six or seven hours of rest. The dogs, fortunately, get more rest than the musher.

A musher’s rule of thumb is that a dog should not pull more than its own weight. The average Iditarod sled, including musher, weighs between 300 and 500 pounds [140 to 230 kg]. If a racer has a team of 15 dogs, each pulls about 33 pounds [15 kg] or less, well below a dog’s average 50-​pound [25 kg] weight. In addition, for a great deal of the time, the musher does not ride the sled. Rather, he runs behind and pushes, perhaps assisting on an uphill climb or over a stretch of rough terrain.

However, in spite of the care mushers give their dogs, there are those who say that the races damage some of them. A letter to The New York Times noted that the Humane Society of the United States claimed that some dogs cannot finish the course and that some even die because of being pushed too hard. It was stated that to a large extent, the reason for this was the high level of prize money supplied by corporate sponsors.

Four Classes of Dogs

What kind of dog is this that can maintain the pace and seem to enjoy it? Any dog that is trained to pull can be a sled dog. But the racing sled dog in Alaska is usually one of four primary types: the Alaskan malamute, the Siberian husky, the Alaskan husky, or the village, or Indian, dog, according to author Lorna Coppinger, in her book The World of Sled Dogs.

1) The Alaskan malamute is a distinct native breed of the Arctic. Russian explorers found the malamute with the native Inuit tribe of Kotzebue Sound, a people known then as the Mahlemut or Malemiut. This dog has a large frame and is very powerful. It proved to be excellent for freighting heavy loads during the gold rush era. Its slower speed is compensated for by its tremendous strength and endurance.

2) The Siberian husky, often with icy blue eyes, is likewise recognized as a breed. It is small, intelligent, and fast and has very distinctive markings. It was first brought to Alaska in 1909 by a Russian fur trader who entered his team of ten Siberians in the second All-​Alaska Sweepstakes.

3) The Alaskan husky is not considered a breed but is recognized as distinct, having several characteristic traits. It is a mixture of northern dogs and derived its name from a native word for Eskimo​—Husky or Huski—​meaning, “eater of raw flesh.” The name is not inappropriate, as the northern mushers in years past have relied heavily on dried fish to feed their teams.

4) The Indian, or village, dog, the most common Alaskan racing sled dog today, is often nondescript. It is the product of years of selective breeding of the gene pool available in the village area where it develops. This dog can travel a mile in close to three minutes and can complete a 20-​mile [30 km] race at better than 17 miles per hour [27 km/​hr] and still have energy enough to look forward with eagerness to tomorrow’s run. Although unimpressive to some, if it has a proper gait, the dog is beautiful to the musher.

The Finish

The arrival of the winner does not end the Iditarod. It may be yet another eight to ten days before the race is officially over and the Red Lantern Award is presented to the final musher to cross the finish line. The red lantern symbol is drawn from the railroad days, when a red lantern was hung on the end, or caboose, of the train.

In reflecting on the Iditarod, we are impressed with the teamwork between man and dog that makes it possible for them to travel more than 1,100 miles [1,800 km] over extremely difficult terrain in very inhospitable weather. Yet some teams do this in about ten and a half days. We are also impressed by the marvelous physical and mental capabilities that the Creator has put into man and beast that enable them to accomplish such a feat.

[Picture Credit Line on page 17]

Photos: © Jeff Schultz/ Alaska Stock Images