Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Iditarod

Episode Date: March 7, 2021

In 1973, 34 mushers and their dog teams lined to take part in a race that recreated a 1925 event where the medicine was delivered by dog sled to the remote town of Nome, Alaska. Since then, the race has become a global phenomenon and is the best-known dog sled race in the world. Learn more about the Iditarod on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1973, 34 mushers and their dog teams lined up to take part in a race that recreated a 1925 event, where medicine was delivered by dog sled to the remote town of Nome, Alaska. Since then, the race has become a global phenomenon and is the best-known sled dog dog race in the world. Learn more about the Iditarod on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by CuriosityStream. If you're a dog lover, CuriosityStream has tons of content for you. They have shows like Man's Best Friend, The Secret Life of Dogs,

sled dog soldiers, and the wonderful world of dogs. You can subscribe to Curiosity Stream for only $20 per year, not a month, but a whole year. If you're a curious person, then start your subscription by visiting everything-everywhere.com slash curiosity stream, or click on the link in the show notes. For at least 2,000 years, humans have been using dogs to pull sleds in the Arctic. Horses weren't available in North America, and even if they were, as was seen in Siberia, they weren't a good option so far north. There would be nothing to eat in the winter as there was no grass to graze on.

The use of sled dogs as a common and regular means of transportation lasted well into the 20th century in Alaska. It wasn't until the development of automobiles, bushplanes, and snowmobiles that dog sleds declined in popularity. There was one particular case when dog sleds were of vital importance. In 1925 there was a large outbreak of diphtheria in Nome, Alaska. There was a serum that could be used to treat the people who had the disease, but the closest supply was in the town of Nenana, Alaska, deep in the interior and almost 600 miles away. A relay was set up of 20 different sled dog teams, which managed to bring the serum to Nome in only six days. The lead dog on the last team which arrived in Nome was named Balto, and he became famous.

There was a movie about Balto, and there's a statue dedicated to Balto in Central Park in New York City. Fast forward to the 1960s, and dog sledding was quickly losing popularity in Alaska. Mechanized transportation had taken over the job formerly handled by sled dogs. In 1964, the brand-new state of Alaska was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the purchase of the Alaskan territory from Russia. To celebrate, the idea was hatched to hold a sled dog race along the Iditarod Trail. The Iditarod Trail was a collection of trails used by native Alaskans and was eventually used by European settlers to connect Nome and Western Alaska to the rest of the state by land. The first race along the Iditarod Trail was held in 1967. The race had a pretty large purse of $25,000 and it attracted 58 mushers.

However, the next year it was canceled due to a lack of snow, and in 1969 the prize money was only $1,000, which depressed interest in the event. The modern race was started in 1973. They did a new fundraising campaign, got corporate sponsors, and raised the prize money to over $50,000. The route was between Anchorage and Noam, although nowadays Anchorage is only the location of a ceremonial start for the press and the public. The official starting line is now the town of Wasilla, just outside of Anchorage. The route is just under a thousand miles long. The first winner in 1973 was Dick Wilmarth, who won the race, in 20 days, 49 minutes.

In 1977, they added a southern route, which is now used in odd-numbered years, and it changes about one quarter of the total route of the race. There aren't a lot of people who compete in dog sledding, and the vast majority of them, not surprisingly, live in Alaska. It's not a very lucrative sport, as there are only a handful of competitions each year, and the prize money, even if you happen to be the very best in the sport, will usually only cover the costs of your dog food for the year. In the 48-year history of the race, you'll find a lot of repeat winners.

Seven competitors have won the race four times, with a record of five being held by Rick Swenson. There is no women's division, and quite frankly, there really isn't a need for one. Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the race in 1985, and Susan Butcher is one of the four-time champions. There are also several families which are heavily represented amongst the winners. Mitch Sevy is a three-time winner, and his son, Dallas, is a four-time winner. In fact, in 2017, Mitch, the father, beat his son who took second place. That year, Mitch became the oldest Iditarod winner at the age of 58. He also set the record time in 2017 at eight days, three hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds. Dallas-Evy, his son,

is the youngest winner ever at the age of 25. The other family which is heavily represented is the Mackey family. Dick Mackey won in 1978. His son Rick won in 1983, and his other son Lance won four consecutive races from 2007 to 2010. Dick's 1978 victory was the closest in history. He won the race in 14 days, 18 hours, 52 minutes, and 24 seconds. One second faster than the runner-up. In fact, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the finish because while his lead dog crossed the finish line a second ahead, He had eight dogs.

The runner-up, Rick Swenson, only had six dogs, and he physically crossed the finish line just before Mackie. Speaking of Lance Mackie, the Iditarod is one of two major dog-sledding competitions each year. The other is the Yukon Quest, which goes between White Horse Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. It's actually considered a much more difficult race than the Iditarod, and very few mushers ever compete in both events due to the grueling and difficult nature of the races. However, in 2007, Lance Mackey became the first person ever to win both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest in a single year, and in fact, the second person to have ever won both races, period, after his father. It was something most people thought was impossible. He then repeated the feat in 2008 competing his fourth consecutive Yukon Quest victory.

All three members of the Mackey family won the race on their sixth attempt, and they all wore the number 13. Brenda Mackey is competing this year, and she is a third generation of Mackey to compete in the race. The route of the race has occasionally changed in the past. In years with insufficient snow, the race has started sometimes in Fairbanks. In 2021, due to COVID-19, the route will be avoiding many of the small towns, and mushers and support staff will have to camp outside. In a normal race, there are 26 checkpoints where the mushers check in and get supplies, which are delivered by their teams before the start of the race.

There is one mandatory 24-hour stop that has to be made to rest the dogs, and there are vets at every stop to check on the health and conditions of the dogs. 2021 will also be the first year that the race isn't ending in Nome. The 2020 winner, Thomas Wainer of Norway, was stuck in Alaska for several months after the race due to flight restrictions. The Iditarod isn't really what you would call a spectator sport. Other than the ceremonial start and maybe the finish line, there is almost no one along the route watching the teams compete.

The only way to follow is online, and that involves just getting updates from the various checkpoints. As of the time I am recording this, the 2021 race has just begun, and they should be on the trail for at least the next week. If you want to follow the race, just visit the Iditarod website, where you can get not quite up-to-the-minute results on what is considered to be the world's last great race. The associate producer of Everything Everywhere daily is Thor Thompson. If you'd like to support the show, please donate over at patreon.com. There is content only available to supporters, merchandise, and even opportunities for a show producer credit. If you know someone you think would enjoy the show, please share it with them. Also remember, if you leave a five-star review, I'll read your review on the show.