Iditarod 2006

The start of the annual Alaskan Iditarod Dog Sled Race started last Saturday in Anchorage on 4^th Avenue. This year there were 83 mushers attempting to make the trek from Anchorage to Nome 1,100 miles away. This adventure through the Alaskan wilderness over mountains, along frozen rivers, and in harsh winter conditions reaching minus 50 below zero temperatures.

The world's longest sled-dog race thrives on the mystique of mushers and their canine companions braving the vicious cold of faraway Alaska. But only rarely can anyone see firsthand what's happening along the trail.

From the helicopters clattering over downtown Anchorage on Saturday morning to the crowds swarming the streets, it was clear Iditarod has become the new Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championships.

Who could have imagined that a 1,100-mile ultra-marathon waged across the vast emptiness of the 49th state could someday spark a show like this: gawking tourists from around the globe filling downtown with a babble of tongues, hot dog carts and food vendors saturating the winter air with the smell of money, T-shirt and Iditarod program vendors hawking merchandise behind snow fences needed to keep roaming multitudes safely corralled, photographers snapping pictures everywhere, and, of course, dogs, dogs and more dogs.

They run night and day, too, on a rest-run schedule dictated by the dogs with little consideration for the mushers. By the time the people get done caring for the animals in the checkpoints and fixing broken gear, there is often little -- if any -- time for sleep. By the time the lead teams reach Nome, 10 or 11 days from now, many of the front-running mushers will be stumbling, bumbling zombies, which is what sleep deprivation tends to do to humans.

It is this competition, along with the inevitable and sometimes heartbreaking struggles of the people who try to simply finish the Iditarod, only to fail, that have built the event from almost
nothing to the biggest thing in the Alaska winter and a growing international sports attraction.

As with good movies, it's all about the story. Story needs characters, plot lines, subtext and drama. The Iditarod has it all. Not to mention a little humor.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday’s start.

Enjoy!

Ice