Know More About the Unique Dog Sledding Race in Alaska. Quoted from National Geographic, long ago, Iditarod a city and river in Alaska, became the location of a gold mine in Alaska. Iditarod itself means ‘far’ or ‘a distant place’ in Ingalik and Holikachu, which is the native language of the indigenous Alaskan tribe.
The difficulty of ice transportation in this area made the dog sledding a solution for sending letters, foods, medicines and many more. But since World War II is over, transportation in Alaska has advanced and this dog sledding method has become increasingly abandoned.
To prevent the extinction of this unique transportation tradition due to the existence of snowmobiles, in 1973 the dog sledding competition began in the town of Iditarod and is still ongoing today. Now, this ongoing long-distance annual event has increased with the number of interested teams signed up each year for the competition.
Every Year, About 60 to 100 Teams Participate In The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska.
More than 100 dogs have been lined up to take long and heavy trips up to 1,100 miles (1,770 km) long from the city of Anchorage to Nome right on the ice land. Thus, there are two reasons for organizing the Iditarod race— to maintain the history of the Iditarod Trail between Seward and Nome; to keep the dog sledding tradition and the Alaskan Huskies from extinction. Hence, in very cold air conditions, through the blizzard and filled with heavy ice. This competition only allows northern dog breeds such as Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute to participate. These dogs come from cold places and have thick fur so they can survive the weather of Alaska. Know More About the Unique Dog Sledding Race in Alaska.
However, The Regulation of the Type of Dogs That May Enter This Competition Only Took Effect in 1990.
Years before that, a musher (driver) named John Suter. Entered a dog type of poodle into his team of sled dogs in the race. But unfortunately, even though poodles have thick fur. They cannot survive long enough in the blizzard because their paws get irritated and crack easily due to being too much exposed to the freezing cold. It’s also unfortunate that a long journey also doesn’t allow all sled dogs to reach the finish line. When the competition starts, each team must carry at least 12-16 dogs to pull the sled. But usually when reaching the finish line, only about 6-10 dogs are left. Know More About the Unique Dog Sledding Race in Alaska.
On Average, The Cover Distance Will Take Up To 8-15 Days To Complete The Competition
But The Longest Recorded Trip Ever Reached 32 Days. Also, what’s most unique about this competition, not only the winners are given prizes. The last team to reach the finish line will be given the Red Lantern Award in recognition for their efforts. Not only that. Both male and female mushers compete together in a single race to compete for the grand prize of $50,000. In fact, the top 20 finishers also won thousands of dollars depending on their rank.