The northern lights illuminating the way for racers in last year's Iditarod race. Photo by David Poyzer, via Iditarod.com
In early March 1973, 34 brave souls and their dogs departed Anchorage with a 1,049-mile journey lying ahead of them. 20 days, 49 minutes, and 41 seconds later, Dick Wilmarth of Red Devil, Alaska passed through front street in Nome, becoming the first champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and winning $12,000. 12 mushers scratched along the trail for various reasons, but the remaining 22 all eventually made it to Nome.
The race ended 32 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes, and 1 second after it began when John Schultz, the “Red Lantern,” or last musher, crossed the finish line. 50 years later, “The Last Great Race” remains an annual tradition, drawing large crowds and plenty of mushers from around Alaska, and some from even farther.
The modern Iditarod trail is fashioned from routes originally used by the native Inupiaq and Athabaskan peoples, which were greatly extended and expanded with the arrival of Russian fur traders in the 1800s. Around the turn of the 20th century, the trail reached its peak as a gold rush hit Nome and dog-sled teams were used to bring supplies into the city during the port’s icebound winter months.
While planning for the 100th anniversary of the Alaskan purchase from Russia, Dorothy Page brought up the idea of using portions of the old Iditarod trail for a racing event. This first race, only covering a small portion of the trail, attracted 58 mushers in 1967, but after a canceled event the following year and a lack of funding the next, the races stopped. That is until Joe Redington Sr, Gleo Huyck, and Tom Johnson reignited the race in 1973 with the full route from Anchorage to Nome, and popularity of the event soared.
This year, 49 mushers are competing, and excitingly, this year all events are returning to (mostly) normal after last year’s COVID-related shakeup. The 50th race gala will be hosted on Thursday, March 3 at 6:00 PM, although with required proof of vaccination for all attendees as well as lesser capacity - only 750 tickets total are available as opposed to the usual 1500.
On Saturday, March 5 at 10:00 AM, the mushers and dog teams will follow the 11-mile ceremonial race start through downtown Anchorage. The next afternoon, the genuine race start will occur in Willow, north of Wasilla. Parking will be available with a $10 charge, although it is limited, so fans are urged to make use of the Iditarod shuttle. Tickets from Anchorage are $25 for the general public and $15 for those who have volunteered in any aspect of the race. There are also shuttles running from Wasilla, Houston, and Talkeetna, with details on the Iditarod website.
This year, being an even-numbered year, will follow the northern Iditarod route, passing through 23 checkpoints on the way to Nome. Dallas Seavey currently holds the record for the fastest race time on the northern route, having made it to Nome in only 8 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, and 16 seconds in 2016. That was the all-time record as well, until Mitch Seavey completed the race 8 hours faster the next year, though being an odd-numbered year, that race was done through the southern route.
Those interested in the race can also follow the Iditarod Instagram page, which for the 50 days leading up to the 50th race has been posting facts about each previous year’s Iditarod starting with the 1973 race. To keep up with race standings and information, visit their website at iditarod.com, where you can also sign up for their newsletter to receive more in-depth updates.
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