Nonfiction Article-Magazine Format

By Iris Lee
Life
In the Iditarod
March 20, 2014
http://www.outsideonline.com/photoga"eries/outdoor-adventure/athletes/
The-2014-Iditarod-Loren-Holmes-
In the 2014 Iditarod, Aliy Zirkle arrives at Puntilla Lake at dawn.
Much more than just a sled dog race
IDITAROD ITEM #1
The breeds mostly used in the
Iditarod are Siberian or Alaskan huskies,
and also Alaskan malamutes, although other
breeds are used. The listed types are all
black or brown with white in color rather
similar to an Oreo cookie, but Siberian
huskies are considered purebred whereas
Alaskan huskies
are not.
Siberian
husky
(right)
and
Alaskan
husky
(left)
The musher seated at the front of the sled has a wild and
intense look in his eyes as he grips the reins and yells
commands at the dogs. The hounds respond, barking but
focused, as they leap across the ice. Every minute of training,
both man and dog, has led down to this very moment. The
spectators lean forward, for the sled is getting rather close to
the finish line... and the sled is swept into the journey's end! The
crowd's noise is deafening. The musher has just won the most
popular sporting event in Alaska and one of the hardest races
on Earth- the Iditarod (eye-DID-er-rod) Trail Sled Dog Race. It's
more than just a few mutts pulling sleds, as you will find out as
you read on.
http://
www.dogbreedinfo.co
m/
huskyalaskansiberian.h
tm
Dallas Seavey is driving into the Rainy Pass
checkpoint on Puntilla Lake in the 2014 Iditarod.
Driver and Dog, United
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a race between
teams of one musher (the person who drives the sled) and 12 to
16 dogs each. The dogs, any breed they might be (see Iditarod
Item #1), pull the sled while the musher drives it, and follow the
Iditarod Trail from start to finish.
Time-wise, the Iditarod starts on the first Saturday in
March every year. The Iditarod Trail's whereabouts are from
Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. There is actually a northern and
southern route of the Iditarod, the northern trail used on even
years and the southern trail on odd years. The routes are both
more than a thousand miles- 1150 miles, to be exact. Yet the
mushers are still eager to participate and enjoy the treacherous
but exciting path.
http://www.outsideonline.com/photo-galleries/outdoor-adventure/
athletes/The-2014-Iditarod-Loren-Holmes-Photography.html
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March 20, 2014
IDITAROD RECORDS
Old Times of ye Iditarod
If the Iditarod Trail wasn't present back in
1925, many lives would have been lost. The
Iditarod began as a mail and supply route for sled
dogs. It became valuable when a deadly disease
called diphtheria attacked Alaska in 1925. Some
symptoms of diphtheria, for instance, are grayishwhite membrane-in comparison to the color of
gray hair-that covers the throat and respiratory
(breathing) difficulties. It can also cause foul
breath and smell "sickly" sweet. Sometimes
diphtheria can be fatal.
The trail started being used to deliver
medicine to Nome, Alaska; therefore, mushers
and sled dogs became vital for transporting the
remedy. Called the Father and the Mother of the
Iditarod, Joe Redington Sr. and Dorothy Page
organized the race because they wanted to
preserve the trail that had been so important and
had saved many lives when the sickness swept
the state. The first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
was in 1973.
IDITAROD ITEM #2
MUSHER YEAR
Dallas
Seavey
2014 8 days, Fastest
13 hrs, winning
4 min,
time
19 secs
Lance
Mackey
2007,
2008,
2009,
2010
4 times Most
consecu
tive
wins
Rick
Swenson
1977,
1979,
1981,
1982,
1991
5 times Most
times
won
Libby
Riddles
1985
18
First
days, 2 woman
min, 3
to win
secs
http://www.concordmonitor.com/
sports/10957953-95/iditarodsled-dog-race-gets-under-way-in-
The word Iditarod
means “clear water”
or “distant place”. It
is unclear which
one it really is.
alaska
A Tremendous Task
The dogs of Canadian musher Karen
Ramstead are crossing the bridge to
Goose Lake in the 2014 Iditarod.
IDITAROD ITEM #3
http://
kaiserracing.com/
2010/03/the-party-isofficially-over-allmushers-finished/
The Red Lantern
RECORD RECORD
The Red Lantern (on
the left) is awarded to
the last place musher
because it is
immensely difficult to
complete the Iditarod,
even if it's in last place.
The Iditarod lives on. Today, lots of mushers
and dogs come to compete and show who's best.
Despite that they know the adventure about to be
undertaken takes sheer pluck and ardor, they’re
willing to run the race. Like said before, the Iditarod is
much more than it seems. The teams dash across
frozen rivers, bleak tundra, and towering mountains.
It's even called the Last Great Race on Earth
because of the challenge the teams take on! Even
the Red Lantern winners (see Iditarod Item #3) have
completed something that is grueling and difficult.
The mushers need determination and bravery in
order to compete in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race,
and we can learn from these people to keep an open
mind and try, even if it's the hardest thing you have
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ever encountered.
Credits to www.iditarod.com