Iditarod '06

Unknown to most of us, the Iditarod sled dog race started on March 4th in its traditional starting place of Anchorage, AK.

After a short 22 mile run, the official start took place the following day in Wasilla, AK. I'm not sure the reason, but I'm assuming the amount, or quality of snow cover between Wasilla and Anchorage.

Well, last night Jeff King of Denali, AK became the first person to cross the finish line and was declared the winner. It took him nine days, 11 hours and 11 minutes to cover the 1,112 miles. He finished nearly 3 hours ahead of his closest competitor and will collect a prize of $70,000 and a new truck.

It was the fourth win for King, a feat which leaves him in the company of other four time winners, Martin Buser, Susan Butcher and the race's only 5-time winner, Rick Swenson. At the age of 50, King also became the oldest winner of the race.

The Iditarod is impressive in every way. It is truly one of the toughest tests of endurance out there. It didn't start out as a race either, but rather as an attempt to save the lives of countless children in Nome who had come down with diptheria. In January, 1925, realizing he had an epidemic on his hands, the town doctor hopped on the telegraph and begged for medicine. The closest he could find it was in Anchorage, over 1,100 miles away. It seemed like an impossible task, but they got it there. The medicine moved to Nenana by rail, and after that it was up to a relay of dog teams who carried it the remaining 674 miles to Nome.

The Iditarod we know today commemorates that run. Way to go Jeff King. Good luck next year.