Iditarod!!!

   This week we have been learning about the Iditarod, which is  held each year in Alaska. The race began last Saturday and it starts the first Saturday of March. The Iditarod, aka " The Last Great Race" is a sled dog race honoring the time in history that mushers had to deliver special medicine to help people sick with Diphtheria. all the way from Anchorage to Nome. These towns are more than 1,000 miles away from each other and the weather was so treacherous that dog sled was the only way to make the delivery. If it were not for the heroic mushers and their dogs, many people could have passed away.
   Not just anyone can enter into the Iditarod. You must qualify and only 70 teams can compete each year. A musher can have a maximum of 16  dogs but a minimum of 12 dogs at the starting line. To finish the race the musher must have at least 6 dogs still pulling the sled. The Ididitrod is 1,180 miles long and usually takes at least 9 days to finish.
   A musher must bring their own supplies such as dog food, a propane stove, a headlamp,  a sleeping bag,  an axe, and 8 pairs of booties for each dog. Each team must complete an 8 hour rest stop and a 24 hour rest stop, but it is their choice when they do it.
   There is also a shorter version of the Iditarod for people ages 14-17 called the Junior Iditarod. This competition is 158 miles long and takes  more than 14 hours to complete. All mushers have to worry about moose because they are very territorial animals and are known to attack the teams.

BY: Averi, Callia, Alex, and David K.