Iditarod Sled Dog Race Honors Hero Dogs & Mushers

IT'S HERE! 

REFERRED TO AS "THE LAST GREAT RACE ON EARTH", THE ANNUAL IDITAROD SLED DOG RACE STARTED LAST WEEKEND!!

THE IDITAROD IS A PUNISHING 1,000 + MILE SLED DOG RACE, ENTERED BY THE BRAVEST MUSHERS AND EXTREME SLED DOG ATHLETES.  THIS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE SLED DOG RACE IS RUN ACROSS THE STATE OF ALASKA, STARTING IN ANCHORAGE AND ENDING IN NOME. 



This statue in Central Park, NYC is of Balto, lead dog of the last sled dog team to reach Nome, Alaska with life saving Diptheria antitoxin. 

THE IDITAROD RACE IS A TEST OF EXTREME ENDURANCE AND SKILL THAT PAYS HOMAGE TO THE SERUM RUN OF 1925, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "THE GREAT RACE OF MERCY".

THE SERUM RUN WAS THE RESULT OF A DIPTHERIA OUTBREAK THAT POSED A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE PEOPLE OF NOME, ALASKA.  DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE ONLY WAY TO GET LIFESAVING ANTITOXIN SERUM TO NOME WAS VIA SLED DOG! 

THE TRIP WAS SO HARSH, THEY NEEDED MULTIPLE SLED DOG TEAMS.  APPROXIMATELY 150 DOGS AND 20 MUSHERS MADE THE TRECHEROUS 674 MILE JOURNEY IN 5.5 DAYS, JUST IN TIME TO SAVE THE PEOPLE OF NOME FROM DEADLY EPIDEMIC!



The Iditarod sled dog race is over 1,000 miles, often in treacherous blizzard conditions

THE IDITAROD RACE TAKES FROM 8 TO 15 DAYS DEPENDING ON THE SKILL OF THE TEAMS AND THE CONDITIONS ALONG THE OFTEN TRECHEROUS IDITAROD TRAIL.

IF THERE ARE ANY EDUCATERS OUT THERE, I HOPE YOU WILL FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO TEACH YOUR STUDENTS THE AMAZING STORY OF THE SERUM RUN OF 1925.   

KIDS CAN FOLLOW THE PROGRESS OF THE EXCITING IDITAROD RACE ONLINE.  WHAT A FUN, EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY IT WOULD BE FOR STUDENTS TO FOLLOW ALONG, TRACKING THEIR FAVORITE SLED DOG TEAM! 

TEACHERS & PARENTS, FOR A WEALTH OF INFORMATION AND IDEAS HEAD TO THE IDITAROD EDUCATION PORTAL

I'M SO PROUD OF MY HUSKY'S HERITAGE AND HOW HER ANCESTORS HELPED SAVED THE PEOPLE OF NOME, MANY OF WHOM WERE PEOPLE INDIGENOUS TO ALASKA.

THE SERUM RUN OF 1925 IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ALASKAN HISTORY, AND IT IS THEREFORE AN IMPORTANT PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY!

I'LL BE BLOGGING ABOUT THE GREAT RACE OF MERCY AND THE IDITAROD RACE OVER THE NEXT WEEK, SO STAY TUNED!

Do you follow the Iditarod race?  Have you ever been to Alaska during the Iditarod?  Leave us a comment and share your story!