Susan Butcher and the news of the dog race

Susan Butcher never backed away from a challenge that is why she won the iditarod four times. She was born in Boston and her love of wilderness and animals drew her out to Alaska. She was 5 feet and six inches tall and weighed 135 pounds at the peak of her racing career. She was the first person to win 3 times in a row the iditarod championship. She set another record by wining 4 championships in 5 years. She died in 2006 of leukemia at the age of 51. The iditarod has 100 mph winds and 70 degres below zero.

Dog Race in Alaska in 2009

1. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race first ran to Nome in 1973, after two short races on part of the Iditarod Trail in 1967 and 1969. The idea of having a race over the Iditarod Trail was conceived by the late Dorothy G. Page. In 1964, Page was chairman of the Wasilla-Knik Centennial and was working on projects to celebrate Alaska’s Centennial Year in 1967.

2. The 2009 Iditarod Musher Listing is
Entrants
73
Withdrawn
6
Alaska Entrants 43
Other U.S.A 7
Other Countries 6
Total Active Mushers 56
Withdrawn 4
Total Sign-Up 60

3. The Route Goes from Anchorage to Nome
The Race Starts at Sat, Mar 7, 10:00 a.m.

4.In 1973 Dick Wilmarth was the first winner but the fastest winner was in 2002 named Martin Buser.

5. You can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod.