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The Iditarod!
The Iditarod!
Does anybody else here follow the Iditarod? I've been watching it excitedly since... 2014? Wow. It's been a while. This will be the fourth one for me to track. For those of you who do not know, the Iditarod is a 1000+ mile dog sled race in Alaska that stretches from Anchorage to Nome, run to honor the path taken to deliver medicine to the people of Nome when sickness had befallen them. You may know of the movie Balto? Yup, thas's what it is.
Sooo the Iditarod starts Saturday, and I'm really excited. Usually the winner takes eight or nine days to finish, and this year it has to be Aliy Zirkle! She's run the Iditarod 15 time and came second three times in a row. She totally deserves it! And shes amazing!
Dallas Seavey has won for the past few years. Grr.
submitted by The Riddler, age 843.946, Here
(March 2, 2017 - 6:49 pm)
(March 2, 2017 - 6:49 pm)
I met an Iditarod winner before. I was tiny so I don't remember it...but I remember husky puppies. So cute!I had to comment bevcause I'm an Alaskan and someone appreciates my state other then me. I salute you. I am gone, now. (Or I never was here huehue)
(March 3, 2017 - 3:04 am)
I've heard that the Iditarod is very cruel to dogs. It's animal abuse.
(March 3, 2017 - 7:11 pm)
It's actually not. The dogs are bred for this - all they want to do is run, run run! It's their favourite thing in the world (except for food maybe.) Mushers have to be extremely careful with their dogs - they have them wear booties, they stop on the trail every hour or so to gives them snacks, and there is an unspoken rule that you always care for the dogs first before you indulge yourself. Almost nobody finishes with their original 16 dog team - if a dog looks even the slightest bit like they might not be able to finish, they are carried in the sled to the next checkpoint where someone takes them back. Additionaly, an eight hour rest and a twenty four hour rest are required at some point during the race. If you've watched the Iditarod before you can tell the bond between a musher and their dogs. Aliy Zirkle has won the Humanitarian award twice, given to the person who has the strongest bond and best care towards his or her dog team.
By the way, it starts today in four hours and 46 minutes!!! (the website has a countdown by the second :)
(March 4, 2017 - 9:14 am)
A total of 1,152 dogs (72 mushers each with 16 dogs) will be starting the race. About half the dogs don’t finish due to illness, injury, exhaustion, or not wanting to continue. More important, dogs die just about every year; the total known is 147, since 1973, which averages 3.34 per race.
I think the Iditarod should end. This is a 1,000-mile, once-a-year, treacherous, unnecessary race (no serum delivery), just for entertainment. No dogs should die in an event that’s just to amuse people.
Lucy, please send a Reply to this comment naming the source of your information. Thank you.
Admin
(March 4, 2017 - 3:14 pm)
Correction: It is a total of 1,168 dogs (73 mushers each with 16 dogs) according to the Iditarod website at list of mushers.
(March 5, 2017 - 3:42 pm)
Please respond to the Admins. Thanks!
(March 5, 2017 - 8:28 pm)
Oh, you did....sorry, I feel kinda stupid now.
(March 6, 2017 - 10:43 am)
I thought I did respond a couple of days ago. My sources are the Iditarod webside, and AK news outlets.
(March 6, 2017 - 10:59 am)
I've never watched the Iditarod, but I am facinated by dog sleds. And dogs in general. I've read a bunch of books about it, but I didn't know the Iditarod was televised! Not that I'll be able to watch it anyway- we don't have cable or anything.
(March 5, 2017 - 9:05 pm)
Hmm... I don't actually know if it's televised. Mostly I just follow the official standings on the website. In fifth grade we did a project on it and everyone drew a musher to research. I was lucky enough to pick Aliy Zirkle, who came second three years in a row and is amazing. In sixth grade we did another project on it where I had a different musher, Jodi Bailey, and there was this huge map in the hallway with pins for each musher, and the sixth grade teachers updated it every morning. That's kind of how I discovered it.
(March 6, 2017 - 9:16 pm)
@Lucy S and Margery: Ok. Well we disagree about whether the Iditarod is a good thing or not, but I did not make this thread to argue. Please save comments for another thread.
(March 6, 2017 - 7:29 pm)