The Iditarod has started!!!!
The Iditarod Annual Dog Sled Race Across Alaska, “IADSRAA” – to coin a new name, has begun. Iditarod, as it has been locally known for the 43 years since its beginning, is the dog sled race across the snow in the cold from Willow, near Anchorage, to Nome, Alaska. Only, this year, there wasn’t much snow, it wasn’t very cold (by Alaskan standards), and the start of the race was moved to Fairbanks, Alaska — for, hopefully, more snow and cold. Though conditions may have changed, it is still the race to reach the “far distant place”, the “Iditarod”, and Nome by the Bering Sea.
Monday morning, May 9, 2015, at 10:00 AM, local time, the first musher, a rookie to this race, 48-year old Rob Cooke, originally from Worcester, England, (Yes, the home of the original Worcestershire sauce), who now resides in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada, mushed his team of huskies across the start line and on toward Nome!!!! That was exciting just to say. I can’t imagine what it was like to be there.
Every two (2) minutes after Rob, another sled, musher and dog launched into the cold for the run to the coast and Nome.
Mitch Seavey, 55, whose dad ran the first Iditarod in 1973, was lucky #17 out of the start gate. You may recall that Mitch won two years ago in 2013 in an exciting finish, for a 1,000 mile dog sled race, just minutes ahead of Aliy Zirkle, who I was cheering on to the finish. Go Aliy! Aliy has finished second the last three years. Last year in 2014, she was 2 minutes and 22 seconds behind the winner, Dallas Seavey, who is Mitch’s son and who finished with the fastest Iditarod time ever at 8 days, 13 hours, 4 minutes and 19 seconds. Now, that’s a race. Go Dallas! By the way, dad Mitch was third behind Aliy last year. Go Mitch!
Aliy and her dogs were #31 out of the chute at 11:00 AM local time, followed 28 minutes later by Dallas Seavey in the #45 slot. If Aliy wins, she won’t be the first woman to win the Iditarod. Susan Butcher claimed Iditarod victories in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990 before retiring to raise a family. Go Susan!
To review: On March 9, 2015, 78 sled dog teams started the long and grueling mush to the Bering Sea and the Joe Redington, Sr. Trophy to be awarded the 2015 Iditarod winner.
Next Wednesday, on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2015, 68 basketball teams will start the long March maddening pace of the big dance to the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and the Wooden Trophy awarded the prevailing squad whose members earn the right to cut down the nets at the end of play.
If Dallas Seavey’s speed last year is an indicator, the last musher to reach Nome will claim the Red Lantern awarded to the last sled to reach that far distant place about the time the surviving Sweet Sixteen basketball teams complete the first weekend of hoops play and board their planes for the next round of games.
This means the tired mushers of the Iditarod can rest and recuperate with their feet propped up, before their televisions sets, and enjoy two full weekends of championship basketball — maybe more, if they hurry.
Now, there’s a reason to mush even faster to Nome.
Go mushers! Sled, glide and slide.
Go teams! Dribble, run, leap and shoot.
Rain, snow or shine, these are exciting times.
Grandpa Jim