Baker Set To Defend Iditarod Title
The trail might be a little easier on this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, but defending his title will be anything but for Kotzebue’s John Baker.The race starts Saturday in Anchorage and Baker, 49, is pitted against many former champions including four-timers Lance Mackey, Martin Buser and Jeff King….
Meet The Women Of Iditarod
Alaska is a land of extremes. A quick trip into town can take six hours, while treacherous, 1,000-mile races that span 10 sleepless nights in sub-arctic temperatures are considered fun. It’s also been called the place where “men are men and women win the Iditarod.”The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race,…
Dog Sled Maker Creates Works of Art for Iditarod Trail
It takes a lot of work for Iditarod mushers to make it a thousand miles across the state. In addition to a speedy dog team, they’ve also got to have quality gear.Creating world-class works of functional art is almost second nature for Bernie Willis.“Sled building is not a matter of…
Contenders Set To Run Alaska’s 1000-Mile Iditarod
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A winter of heavy snow in Alaska is keeping trail breakers busy clearing the route of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race but no one can remove other weather-related challenges like jumbled ice along the state’s western coast and the heightened possibility of run-ins with…
40th Iditarod Poised To Start With Nod To Race, Trail History
Sixty-six mushers and their dogs will line up on Saturday for the launch of the 40th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, an event that has grown from an obscure contest many considered a one-time lark into a world-famous, big-money sports extravaganza.The human contestants, many of whom have made the Iditarod…
Can Lance Mackey Win A Fifth Iditarod?
An aging Iditarod legend whose twinkling blue eyes and celebrity charm are as famous as his athletic feats, Lance Mackey is doing everything he can in 2012 to stave off what he calls “the inevitable” — forced retirement under the grips of a body so battered it can’t keep up.Yet…
Redington Jr. Will Be First Musher On Trail
Bib numbers. Do they really matter in the Iditarod?To the legendary Redington family, this year, a lot. Two grandsons of the “Father of the Iditarod,” Joe Redington Sr., will bookend the race.Ray Redington Jr. will start Saturday’s 40th Iditarod with bib No. 2 (the first racer to leave the starting…
Born To Run In Front
The dog team wound down the ridge through the trees and on to Paxson Lake. On the open lake, the north wind struck like a blow. It was full dark and snowing lightly, the visibility zero. The lake surface was drifted hard with no trace of our previous trail. My…
Can Am Marks 20 Years
The very first musher to head out the start chute in the first Can Am Crown International 250-mile race 20 years ago will run his last race during the milestone event this weekend.John Kaleta wore bib number one at the event’s debut in 1993 and after more than 20 years…
Seavey Family Continues Iditarod Tradition
Over the years the Seavey name has become synonymous with the Iditarod, with five members of the family completing the race.At Lake Louise, an Iditarod icon prepared for his return to racing after a 10-year absence.“They try to tell me there’s life beyond the Iditarod, maybe so,” said Dan Seavey.Dan,…