The Iditarod is a race run each year starting on the first Tuesday in March. The Iditarod always starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome, however the race route alternates between a Northern route and a Southern route in the middle of the trail. This year we will be tracking the race taking place on the Southern route because it is an odd numbered year.
When the Alaskan Huskies are born they are the size of a large potato. It is amazing to think that they will develop so quickly into the fine athletes that they soon become. When they are only six-months old they are harnessed for the first time. As with all new things, it takes the puppies a little time to get used to wearing the harness. Each mushers team consists of sixteen dogs at the start of the Iditarod race. The dogs not only have to get used to the race gear that they will be wearing, but also how to work with their fellow teammates and musher.
Sled dogs definitely work up an appetite! During race season they can consume up to 10,000 calories per day. In order to keep a high level of energy, the dogs are fed a diet rich in fat and protein. The reason for this is that dogs use fats and proteins in the same way that humans use carbohydrates. The total mileage of the Iditarod in 2009 is 1131 miles. This will be completed by the winning musher and his team within 7-14 days. These dogs are true athletes when you think that this could be compared to humans running 42 marathons back to back!
Some notable mushers are:
Lance Mackey 2008 Iditarod Champion
Jeff King has won 4 Iditarods during his career
Rachael Scordis the first blind musher to ever complete the race
Libby Riddles the first women musher to ever win the Iditarod
There are lots of other notable achievements, these only name a few!
The idea of the Iditarod , was conceived by the late Dorothy G. Page to celebrate Alaska's Centennial Celebration. There were two shorter races first, starting in 1967 and 1969, until it finally developed into the race we have come to know today in 1973. In 1978, the first Jr. Iditarod race was run...after learning a bit more about the strength and stamina needed to participate in this "Last Great Race" would you ever consider running in the Jr. Iditarod?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Iditarod Club Overview
Welcome to the Iditarod Club!
Here is what we will be doing each of the four weeks that the club meets. Hope that you can join us!
February 3rd- We will introduce the Iditarod race by reading a book or watching a movie about it. Afterwards we will make a map of the trail and its checkpoints and come to understand what the sled dog teams are up against as they run the Iditarod. Finally, we will discuss the different sled dog teams and be given instructions on how to learn more about the different mushers that are running this year's race. At home study: Read the blog to learn about and choose your favorite musher and be prepared to play the sled loading game next week.
February 17th- We will be playing a Iditarod sled loading game. Each team will answer questions about the race and a correct answer will allow that team a chance to load something on their sled. The team to load their sled first wins. The questions and answers to this game will be pre-loaded onto this blog before we meet to play this game. We will also be picking the two mushers that we will follow during the Iditarod race. At home study: Read about the care and treatment of the sled dogs and be prepared to discuss if you feel the dogs are treated ethically during the race.
March 3rd- Discuss the treatment of the dogs that run the Iditarod and also make a homemade movie showing the different components of the race. The race begins on March 3rd so we will learn about how we can post comments to our musher's blog at the various checkpoints. At home study: Check the blog frequently throughout the race and see how our two mushers are progressing.
March 17th- Snacks and final recap
Here is what we will be doing each of the four weeks that the club meets. Hope that you can join us!
February 3rd- We will introduce the Iditarod race by reading a book or watching a movie about it. Afterwards we will make a map of the trail and its checkpoints and come to understand what the sled dog teams are up against as they run the Iditarod. Finally, we will discuss the different sled dog teams and be given instructions on how to learn more about the different mushers that are running this year's race. At home study: Read the blog to learn about and choose your favorite musher and be prepared to play the sled loading game next week.
February 17th- We will be playing a Iditarod sled loading game. Each team will answer questions about the race and a correct answer will allow that team a chance to load something on their sled. The team to load their sled first wins. The questions and answers to this game will be pre-loaded onto this blog before we meet to play this game. We will also be picking the two mushers that we will follow during the Iditarod race. At home study: Read about the care and treatment of the sled dogs and be prepared to discuss if you feel the dogs are treated ethically during the race.
March 3rd- Discuss the treatment of the dogs that run the Iditarod and also make a homemade movie showing the different components of the race. The race begins on March 3rd so we will learn about how we can post comments to our musher's blog at the various checkpoints. At home study: Check the blog frequently throughout the race and see how our two mushers are progressing.
March 17th- Snacks and final recap
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