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ATHLETES OF THE IDITAROD

© Joy Butler

Birds must fly, fish must swim, and sled dogs must run!

In many areas of Alaskan wilderness the only methods of transportation are airlift, snow machine, or sled dog team. In 1925, sled dogs were the only hope of getting diphtheria serum from Anchorage to Nome to stop a diphtheria epidemic. More than 20 mushers and their teams formed a relay to make the emergency delivery and after only six days, a little dark husky named Balto led Gunner Kassen's team into Nome with the miracle serum.

On March 2. 2002, some 1000 sled dogs and their mushers departed Anchorage for the 1151 mile Iditarod race to Nome which memorializes that 1925 serum run. Competitive teams average around 11 miles per hour over the entire course. Winning teams will begin crossing the finish line early this week. These athletes will glide under those burled arches of Nome, proud in the knowledge that they have defied the challenges of a vast, frozen wilderness.

Sled dogs are selectively bred for performance, and highly trained, but are not necessarily full blooded. They can be mongrels of northern breeds mixed with such unlikely breeds as greyhound, Belgian Shepherd, wolf, even Irish Setter, but they must all have a heavy undercoat and an insatiable desire to run and pull. Most weigh between 40 and 60 pounds, as larger dogs have a physiological disadvantage when it comes to delivery of blood and oxygen to the heart, lungs, and muscles, yet Joe Runyan, 1989 Iditarod winner, says that these dogs are so strong that a 16 dog team is like a small pony with 64 legs. These dogs love what they do. They leap with anticipation and excitement in the harness, and thrill to the trail under their feet and the wind in their faces. Some Iditarod runners spend the entire year getting their team ready. The dogs are fed a high energy, quality food and taken out for regular exercise runs to build strength and endurance. They must learn voice commands as no reins are used. "Hike" means go, a kissing sound means to speed up, "Gee" means turn right, "Haw" means turn left, Easy" means slow down, and "Whoa" means stop. Mushers say the dogs have such a strong desire to run that getting them to stop is the most difficult of all commands.

The best veterinary care is given these dogs and pre-race bloodwork, ECG, deworming, vaccinations, physical exam and microchipping is mandatory. Supplies must be gathered and shipped ahead to the checkpoints on the trail to be waiting when the teams come through. These supplies include polypro dog blankets and jackets, salmon snacks, corn oil, liver and water confections, lamb meat and turkey skins, doggie massage and antibiotic cream, nutritional supplements, thermometer to check dogs for hypothermia, or hyperthermia (when temperatures rise above 0), lots of booties, and straw for bedding.