The Iditarod is a grueling sleddog race that goes from Anchorage to Nome - a distance of 1049 miles. It is a historical route, based on the diphtheria epidemic of 1924. Diphtheria had hit many children in Nome, and the needed serum was in Anchorage. There was a storm and the planes could not fly into Nome. So, the serum was delivered to Nome by a series of dogteams, and the children were saved.

In the seventies Joe Reddington the "Father of the Iditarod," was dismayed to realize that snow machines for winter travel in the interior were replacing dogteams. He spoke of this to others, and they came up with the idea of the Iditarod. The first race was run in 1973 with 22 mushers competing. The winning time was 20 days.

The Iditarod Race begins on the first Saturday in March in Anchorage. It passes through small Native villages, crosses two mountain ranges, runs along the Yukon River and over frozen Norton Sound to end at Nome, on the Bering Sea.

The trail goes through the remotest wilderness of Alaska. Along the trail, there are 26 checkpoints; only the first four of these are accessible by car. At each checkpoint every dogteam is examined by a vet.

The Iditarod has been in existence for 28 years. It becomes more popular every year. This year 86 mushers have entered the race. Each musher, a man or a woman, begins with 16 dogs. That's almost 1400 huskies!

This is the only professional sport in which men and women compete equally. There are no men's and women's divisions. The equality between the genders, the history and spirit of this race, and the love and trust between the mushers and their dogs are all remarkable features which make this "Last Great Race" one to experience in a very special way.

Learn how to properly put booties on a sled dog. Also included are a few tips and general information regarding the use of booties. Video 1.5 M

You can learn more about the Iditarod Race by logging on the official web site Iditarod.com.