Iditarod 2007

According to legend, the word "Iditarod" means "a distant or far off place." Begee first became interested in the Last Great Race, known as the Iditarod, the 1100-mile dogsled race from Anchorage (ceremonial start) to Nome, his first summer in Alaska when he saw a dog team in Denali National Park. He's followed the Iditarod every winter, getting updates online when we were in Utah, reading about it in the newspaper when we were in Florida, and boring Erin to death with the standings when we were in California. She was never so interested. It was a far off place, indeed.

Two of our highlights this past summer in Seward, where the original Iditarod Trail began, included the opportunity to go dogsledding ourselves. First we went at Iditaride, the kennel run by Mitch Seavey, who won the Last Great Race in 2004. It was a trip through the woods on sleds with wheels, but it still sparked our imaginations. Then we went via helicopter to the Godwin Glacier and were pulled by a dog team in the snow, which was slightly more realistic. Erin became more interested in the sport, especially after she got to play with the puppies.

One of the reasons we decided to stay for the winter in Alaska was the opportunity to watch the start of the Iditarod in person. The Iditarod is the most important sporting event in Alaska, and its tradition is based on the spirit of dog teams, which were once the only way to travel throughout the state in the winter. The race brings out all Alaskans, from volunteers in Anchorage at the start, to communities all along the trail, where people come out to meet the mushers and dogs. The Iditarod carries Alaska's heart and soul, combining its past with its future to unite Alaskans young and old.

First, we went to the Millenium Hotel, the official Iditarod Headquarters, for a booksigning. At the booksigning, we met Hobo Jim, Alaska's Balladeer, Gary Paulsen, Iditarod musher and famed writer (Erin read "Hatchet" in 8th grade, and Begee has read his book "Winterdance" and loved it), Lisa Frederic, who wrote a book about running with champions, and Gay Salisbury, who wrote a book Begee has been hunting down since August, "The Cruelest Miles" about the original serum run that became the inspiration for the Iditarod race.

Then, on Saturday morning, March 3rd, at about 9:00 am, we stood in anticipation. It was a balmy 7 degrees with windchills predicted at around -15 degrees. We were prepared. Begee had on 3 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, a big Carhartt coat, a hat, and gloves. Erin had on 2 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of pants (including snow pants on loan from her boss!), 4 shirts, a fleece, a coat, a hat, a scarf, and 2 pairs of gloves. We also had Egg McMuffins - the most important part (not available in Seward)! We stood at 4th and B Streets in downtown Anchorage and watched all the mushers and dogteams prepare to start. Early favorites were Lance Mackey, whose father and brother had both won on their 6th Iditarod try with bib number 13, and it was now his 6th try, and he'd camped out for days to get bib number 13, Dee Dee Jonrowe, local Anchorage favorite, Jeff King, last year's champion, and Mitch Seavey, Seward musher.

The first dog team out of the gates was led by Susan Butcher's family. Susan was a famous Alaskan musher who had recently lost her battle with cancer, and the state had proclaimed March 3rd as Susan Butcher Day. We watched each team come to the start, we counted back from 10, and we cheered them on their way. Each team took our well wishes and our dreams along with them on the journey to Nome.

Iditarod 2007

As we watched Lance Mackey, lucky number 13, start the race, we knew he would win it - a Cinderella story come to life in the Last Frontier. We spent the next nine days watching the updates as much as possible, Erin now just as excited as Begee, and looking online when we could to get the up-to-the-minute reports. We saw Lance Mackey lead his way into Iditarod history by winning the Iditarod after the Yukon Quest (the 1000 mile race from Whitehorse, Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska), a couple weeks before. We cheered as we saw him come into Nome first on live tv. He won - just like his dad and his brother, number 13, on his 6th try - a real dream come true! Watching a jubilant Mackey, we felt happy to be able to share this moment with him and with the state.

After a long, cold winter in Alaska, getting caught up in the excitement of the Iditarod was one way to warm our hearts, if not our bodies (it was -30 with windchill today!). Now that it has ended, spring must be on the way (at least that's what we're telling ourselves - it is still Alaska with its 9 month winters). The sun is coming back (and Daylight Saving Time has actually tricked us into feeling like maybe it's warm outside when we see it), though - small steps.

Next up: Erin will be running the Mayor's Cup Dogsledding Race, which is a fun event in Seward for local businesses. Each business submits a racer with absolutely no experience to run with a team of 3 dogs with the big goal of trying not to embarass him or herself. It will be a good way to come full circle with our own personal call of the wild, and it will be a good way to say goodbye to our Alaskan winter. Erin is most excited to see the puppies!