Staying Alive: Iditarod Sled Dog Race (Alaska)
Staying Alive: Iditarod Sled Dog Race (Alaska)

Video: Staying Alive: Iditarod Sled Dog Race (Alaska)

Video: Staying Alive: Iditarod Sled Dog Race (Alaska)
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Iditarod Sled Dog Race
Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Sled dog race "Iditarod" - legendary competitions, in which athletes from different parts of the world have been participating annually for forty years. This ice test is rightfully considered one of the most cruel and difficult, because here people, together with animals, are fighting for survival in the literal sense of the word! The race traditionally starts on the first Saturday of March, this year 66 drivers with their teams took the 1600-kilometer distance.

Iditarod Sled Dog Race: Competition Preparation
Iditarod Sled Dog Race: Competition Preparation
Christy Berington is one of the few participants in the Iditarod sled dog race
Christy Berington is one of the few participants in the Iditarod sled dog race

The history of the competition is truly heroic. During the gold rush in Alaska, dog sleds were the only means of transport that transported the necessary equipment and laundered gold, as well as carried out the mail. In 1925, an outbreak of diphtheria broke out in the city of Nome, there was not enough medicine, and the government was forced to send the serum from the capital on twenty teams. Despite the frost, reaching 60 degrees Celsius, the messengers reached their destination in five days instead of the planned twenty-five! This feat helped to save the two thousandth population of the city of Nome.

Iditarod Sled Dog Race
Iditarod Sled Dog Race
One of the competitors and his team of 16 huskies
One of the competitors and his team of 16 huskies

The Iditarod Race commemorates this rescue mission, with the current route overlapping with the old road to Nome. As a rule, not all participants reach the finish line, many surrender, unable to withstand the loads, or leave tired dogs from the sledges at stations that are located along the entire length of the path. However, the contestants have something to compete for - the main prize is $ 50,400 and a new truck in addition, and another $ 550,000 - an incentive prize, which is divided among the teams that took the first thirty places! Surprisingly, a special endurance prize has been established here for the participant whose team arrives last. So far, the record is 8 days, and the “anti-record” is 32!

Iditarod Sled Dog Race: A Well-Deserved Rest
Iditarod Sled Dog Race: A Well-Deserved Rest

Despite the fact that Alaska is a harsh and cold place, here they not only struggle to survive, but also create truly amazing designer outfits! Confirmation of this is the Clothes Festival, which takes place annually in the small town of Ketchikan!

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