Iditarod Update

Posted by Joy Butler Mar 9, 2007

Iditarod huskies are spread across Alaska from Ophir to Anvik. Nineteen teams of the original eighty-two have scratched from the race. G.B. Jones sacrificed the race to continue looking for one of his dogs who slipped out of harness and ran away. Currently, the front running team belongs to Martin Buser, four time Iditarod champion. Dropping another dog in the last checkpoint, he is running 13 dogs. If for any reason, a dog is not up to finishing, it is left at the checkpoint to be cared for by the veterinarians and then flown back home. One of my favorites is Karen Ramstead and her unique purebred Siberian Husky team. This woman is unstoppable and the love she has for her dogs shows in the care she gives them. She also shows them in Conformation and in Obedience competition, and each dog occupies a space on her website. She and her team are in position 42 right now. Just finishing the race is a proud accomplishment and the fact that she allows her dogs a slower pace shows her sportsmanship. The Iditarod record winning time is 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds, set by Martin Buser in 2002. We shall soon see what this year's time will be.