for some fun
 

I just thought that I would share this with you all, cause I know you guys need some kind of entertainment sometimes. If you need something to do this week, like deadly bored or something. Go to www.iditarod.com, and follow the Iditarod. It's one of my absolute favorite events of the year. And now that I am in 10th grade english we have to pick 3 out of the 96 mushers racing this year, read books, and research the sport, but I have followed it personally since about 5th grade. You can click on their names and look at their dogs. I love it. So if you need something that I think is fun, you can track the mushers on-line.

taylor

This is interesting, Taylor!

I've heard of this event, but have never followed it.

Have you made your three picks for this race?

Steve

yes
 

Yes I have, Clint Warnke (whose bib number 15), Rick Swenson (bib number 61), and Benedikt Beisch (bib number 64). Mr. Warnke and Swenson are verteans and Beisch is a rookie. Swenson has won five times before but is getting pretty old and hasn't done well the last two years.

But it's cool this year because they put tracking devices on some of the major contenders' sleds to track where they are. I do not believe at this time the website has posted their places yet, but I haven't had time to really explore the website. It's so much fun though.

taylor

another thing
 

I cannot wait til I graduate college so I can be a volunteer up there for the race. Vets from across the world come to volunteer their time to work at each check point, at which they have to check every dog(between 12-16 per musher). But I would go to be a checker, which is someone who helps the musher check into the check point and get their food bag if they decided to get it dropped off there.

There is a musher from Shreve, Ohio racing. That's only a hop skip and a jump away from the village I live in, it's too small to be a town. But I couldn't pick him as my musher because he was already chosen. His wife has a blog of everything that they have to do every day for the race. I'm so excited for him, it's his second year racing.

I already have butterflies for the race and it's only the first day. The shortest run was ran in 8 days, but the longest was 32, so who knows what will happen this year. I pray for the dog's safety and hope my mushers do well.

taylor

Rick Swenson is running 9th out of Rainy Pass! :)

Long way to go yet!

Balto and the 1925 Serum Run

In January 1925, doctors realized that a potentially deadly diphtheria epidemic was poised to sweep through Nome's young people. The only serum that could stop the outbreak was in Anchorage, nearly a thousand miles (1,600 km) away. The only aircraft that could quickly deliver the medicine was taken out of winter storage, but its engine was frozen and would not start; after considering alternatives, officials decided to move the medicine by sled dog. The serum was transported by train from Anchorage to Nenana, where the first musher embarked as part of a relay aimed at delivering the needed serum to Nome. More than 20 mushers took part, facing a blizzard with −53 °F temperatures and strong winds. News coverage of the race was worldwide.
On February 2, 1925, the Norwegian Gunnar Kaasen drove his team, led by Balto into Nome. The longest and most hazardous stretch of the run was actually covered by another Norwegian, Leonhard Seppala and his dog team, led by Togo. They came from Nome towards the end of the run and picked up the serum from musher Henry Ivanoff. The serum was later passed to Kaasen.
Kaasen did not consider Balto a particularly good lead dog, but Balto proved himself on the Iditarod trail, saving his team from certain death in the Topkok River. Balto was also able to stay on the trail in near whiteout conditions in which Kaasen admitted he could barely see his hand in front of his face. During a blizzard, Kaasen and his team missed the last sled dog team and had to take the medicine twice as far, which was what eventually brought them to fame.


Statue of Balto in Central Park, NYC

http://www.patriotfiles.com/forum/imgcache/1824.png

tom roig
 

Tom Roig who is from Shreve, Ohio, he lives close to me. Just scratched. He had the flu and 3 of his dogs got very very sick. There's always next year.

taylor

Great story !!!! How the heck did they know where they were going in a total whiteout ? No GPS or anything else !! Unreal !!

Larry

winner
 

Lance Mackey won again this year...took him 9 days. Rick Swenson got 13th!! Unfortunately, 3 dogs died this year. One actually died because someone was on a snow mobile adn while the dog was taking a break, the snow mobile hit it. None of my picked mushers scratched which is really good. Can't wait 'til next year.

taylor

This was fun!

Enjoyed following this!

Will they follow the same route next year?