The Iditarod is a long race by dogsled across Alaska. Did you know that the winner can get up to 50,000 dollars? Well, they can! Did you also know that the distance is about 1,200 miles long? But, it depends on the route taken. You have to pay 1, 850 dollars to enter the race. The shortest time was 9 days 2 hours 42 minutes and 19 seconds in 1995 by Doug Swingley. The start of the race is the first Saturday in March each year. This presentation will be on the Iditarod, so be READY!

The Iditarod starts in Anchorage, and it ends in Nome. Did you know that a musher can be as young as 18 or as old 81?

A long time ago there was a Russian man who wanted to sell a large piece of land to the United States. Nobody was interested, except for one man named William H. Steward. He worked out an agreement and bought the land. They named this land Alaska!

The word Iditarod means “Haiditarod” or “the distant place”. You would think that the name “distant place” would be a good name because from Anchorage to Nome, 800 miles, that’s a long way away! The word Iditarod is an Old Athabascan Indian word.

The first race was in March 3 rd, The race was won by Dick Wilmarth in just over 20 days! Don’t you think that that is amazing? bquest.htm

Joe Redington Sr. is known as the Father of the Iditarod. He is the Father because when he went to the Alaska villages he saw at least 1 dog team behind each house, but, when he returned there were only a few dogs left! Instead of dogs there was a brightly colored snow machines. So he thought to himself why not use the snow machines for work and transportation and use the dogs for racing. So, that is how the Iditarod came into being.

Balto was a dog that was a hero! He saved the lives of many people in Nome. Balto traveled through a fierce snowstorm to carry medicine to the people who were diagnosed with diphtheria. Balto died in His real body is on display at Cleveland’s Natural History Museum. The people in Alaska are trying to get Balto back to his home state, but Balto spent half his life in Cleveland. Balto’s story and fame still live on today.

The disease was called diphtheria. It was a deadly disease. But, Balto and the other dogs made it through the snowstorm and gave the medicine to the people that had diphtheria.

A musher is a person who guides the dogs on dogsleds around. They use whips to guide the dogs.

A musher has to be at least 18 years old to enter the Iditarod. The oldest a musher can be is 81 years old.

The nickname is the Last Great Race On Earth. Why do you think it is called the Last Great Race On Earth?