Pictures from the Iditarod 2010

[Quick281]

My mother flew up for the start of the Iditarod and I took time off so we could be part of it all. I figured I would share these pictures with all of the dog lovers here.

http://www.iditarod.com/ has a short 30 second clip with some great footage if you want a better idea of what these mushers go through.

Wiki explanation: The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, usually just called the Iditarod, is an annual sled dog race in Alaska, where mushers and teams of typically 16 dogs cover 1,161 miles (1,868 km) in eight to fifteen days from Willow (near Anchorage) to Nome. The race begins on the first Saturday in March (the 2010 race began on March 6). The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams, evolving into the highly competitive race it is today. The current fastest winning time record was set in 2002 by Martin Buser with a time of 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds.[1]

Teams frequently race through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73.3 °C). The trail runs through the U.S. state of Alaska. A ceremonial start occurs in the city of Anchorage and is followed by the official restart in Willow, a city in the south central region of the state. The restart was originally in Wasilla, but because of too little snow, the restart was permanently moved to Willow in 2008.[2] The trail proceeds from Willow up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska Range into the sparsely populated interior, and then along the shore of the Bering Sea, finally reaching Nome in western Alaska. The teams cross a harsh landscape through tundra and spruce forests, over hills and mountain passes, and across rivers. While the start in Anchorage is in the middle of a large urban center, most of the route passes through widely separated towns and villages and small Athabaskan and Inupiat settlements. The Iditarod is regarded as a symbolic link to the early history of the state and is connected to many traditions commemorating the legacy of dog mushing. The trails alternate each year—every even year they take the north trail and odd years they take the south trail.

The race is the most popular sporting event in Alaska, and the top mushers and their teams of dogs are local celebrities; this popularity is credited with the resurgence of recreational mushing in the state since the 1970s. While the yearly field of more than fifty mushers and about a thousand dogs is still largely Alaskan, competitors from fourteen countries have completed the event including the Swiss Martin Buser, who became the first international winner in 1992.

The Iditarod received more attention outside of the state after the 1985 victory of Libby Riddles, a long shot who became the first woman to win the race. Susan Butcher became the second woman to win the race and went on to dominate for half a decade. Print and television journalists and crowds of spectators attend the ceremonial start at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and D Street in Anchorage and in smaller numbers at the checkpoints along the trail. End.

These pictures are all from the ceremonial start in Anchorage. Its a 15 mile course where honorary guests get to ride along as the mushers go through town. The rider's bid on the seats a couple days before and all the money raised goes to charity. It is amazing to see such a thing, these dogs absolutely love to run. This was only my second time using my D300 so excuse the variety in my shots. I was trying to capture the emotion of the dogs and the positive atmosphere around the crowds and the mushers.

The Jamaican musher will be the first from his country to have run the race but don't think its a publicity stunt. He had to go through several qualifiers to even run in the race including the Yukon Quest which is another 1000 mile beast of a race. # 48 is Jerry Soussa who is one of several mushers from the small town I live in but was the only one racing this year. # 49 Is Lance Makey who as of yesterday has won it 4 times in a row.