Iditarod Finishes and Our Official Teaser Trailer is here!

Fresh off the trail... It was a thrilling race with Lance Mackey taking home yet another first place finish in what ended up being his fourth consecutive win in a long distance sled dog race and his second Iditarod in two years. Jeff King and Martin Buser ran close behind but couldn't close the gap. Our favorite tough-as-nails racer, Dee Dee Jonrow finished better than last year when she had to scratch and The Reddington Brothers were examples of impeccable trail-etiquette, capturing the true spirit of the race by stopping often to help other mushers or to set up markers that had been knocked down. Discovery just wrapped on what promises to be an amazing new series in the style of "Deadliest Catch" and the "Last Great Race" just continues to inspire more and more stories. All of them amazing. All of them true. Enjoy.

New Iditarod Photos Available

Iditarod Racers take off from Willow...

We went North. As the Iditarod and its loyal fans are bound to go. Donning our press passes, snow-shoes strapped to my backpack, and cameras ready, we raced every other local news outlet and camera crew to each of the Musher on our short list of the 92 total. It seemed every team had its own mini-documentary crew capturing the last-minute frenzy of preparation, logistics and veterinary care before the real big push off. Last night was these mushers' and dogs' last sleep in central and populated Alaska. Today they head off from the widely-acknowledged new home to the Iditarod (Wasilla, Alaska, a ten minute drive south has been steadily losing its snow due to climate change and has ceded the Re-Start to Willow for the last two years), amid a different type of ceremony. Here, families come bundled in snow suits. Snowmobilers come from miles around in small caravans and tail-gate Alaska-style right there on the frozen lake, chopping their own fire-wood and cheering on their favorite Mushers as they pass by. Names like Jeff King, Lance Mackey, DeeDee Jonrow, Martin Buser and Paul Gephardt pass excitedly down the trail between the clusters of fans camped out for a glimpse of their sport idol. In this world, it's about how quickly, efficiently, humanely can you cross 1,049 miles of desolate terrain, experience utter isolation save for the company of a team of twelve of man's best friends, and not only finish the treacherous course to Nome, but finish first. 

The people here love their Mushers. Jeff King is the Iditarod answer to some Nascar champ, donning a glowing amount of proud sponsors on his ride. Martin Buser is well known for being good to his dogs, winning awards five times for it. DeeDee Jonrow battled cancer, ran in circles with legends like Susan Butchner and has been in the top 5 numerous times, but never won the Iditarod. Lance Mackey, also a cancer survivor, has taken the dog-sledding sport by storm with his humble demeanor and trust in his lead dogs. Their stories are told and retold on the trail by stranger to stranger while the Mushers themselves pass by for a quick cheer and return to the conversation.  Nobody seems cold. The sun breaks out behind the clouds and the dogs' tongues hang out in something that looks like the dog equivalent of excitement. The racers go by 1 - 92, from 16 different countries, some legally blind, some racing for the last time, some for the first, all following the Iditarod Trail to the next checkpoint in Yentna...

3...2...1...

Go! From the crowded and festive streets ( and possibly warmed sidewalks in the near-future) of Anchorage, Alaska, we report a crowd as large and enthusiastic as ever and the largest assembly of teams and dogs ever in the modern Iditarod era. The Anchorage, Ceremonial Start held this year on March 1, 2008, was the usual electic mix of coyote fur and snowboarding shells, lynx hats (complete with ears, mouth and cute little nose attached) and survival suits. Fans old and young, exhale steamed winter conversations "Oh, did you know Lance Mackey won the Yukon Quest just a few weeks ago?" or "As a matter of fact I did, but did you know he's using four of the same dogs back-to-back for the 1,049 mile Iditarod this year?" Wow. These people and their teammates are resilient. So far, the going has not technically gotten rough, though on a bright Anchorage morning with the sun smiling down at the Ceremonial Start of this 38th year of the "Last Great Race", the temperature was a balmy 17 F. Giants will be racing against each other this year. Hometown favorites will compete against their own times and professional racers will devise new tactics to cut down the time between Anchorage and Nome. We wish these inspirational racers with their inspirational stories the best of luck. Onward to Nome.

T MINUS 2 DAYS AND COUNTING DOWN...

2 Days to Go until the Ceremonial Start of the 2008 Iditarod, beginning at 10am in Anchorage, Alaska. Due to be at a chilly +17 degrees, the spirit, energy, and love of the community should keep all involved warm enough. But for us, it's Alaska Airlines at 8:45am tomorrow. We check in with the media director of the Iditarod at the Millenium Hotel (Official Iditarod 2008HQ), get our passes, and scout the location before a day sure to be full of excitement, personal goals, and parkas. Until then, keep clicking...

Coutdown to Iditarod 2008

As we write this, Sara and I are packing our cold-weather gear for just south of the Arctic Circle. This year's Iditarod promises to be just as jam-packed with drama, action, and inspiration as ever. Here are some of the competitors: 

 Returning for an amazing run right off his second win at the Yukon Quest, Lance Mackey is sure to win hearts and cheers for his amazing victory, following family tradition and a valiant fight with cancer.  

(www.mackeyscomebackkennel.com)

Also returning are the cast of characters that have made the last decade of Iditarod one of the most competitive endurance sports around: 

                   

                  Jeff King (www.huskyhomestead.com) a major player with a   strong kennel; 
                  Martin Buser (www.buserdog.com)  multiple-time winner of the Iditarod;

DeeDee Jonrow (www.deedeejonrowe.com) a local favorite from Willow, AK; 

Louis Nelson, Sr., an Inupiat Eskimo of Alaska who has raced the trail since he was a child;

 

                                                

With dozens more new comers and champions joining the race this year's Iditarod will have 96 teams of 12 dogs and a racer with over 15 countries participating.  With the stakes as high as ever who knows who will win "The Last Great Race"? Keep logging in to follow our coverage. More to follow from the Trail to Iditarod 2008...