<p>The top 3 right now will finish tomorrow sometime after nearly 1000 miles of mushing through wind, cold, snow and various physical and sleep challenges. I’ve been following this because my S’s selected college tweeted that one of their alum is a competitor this year. </p>
<p>Now I’m hooked … will it be the young Dallas or the female Aily Zirkle? Will the guy in 3rd keep up his momentum and catch them both?</p>
<p>Ever since I found out how rough the race is on the dogs.(a friend calls it the Ikilledadog Race) I’ve been a little put off by the whole show.
[Iditarod</a> Race Facts](<a href=“http://www.helpsleddogs.org/faq.htm#1]Iditarod”>http://www.helpsleddogs.org/faq.htm#1)</p>
<p>I lived in Anchorage for seven years, and the ceremonial start of the Iditarod was my favorite day of the year. SnowflakeVT, this feels like the changing of the guard from the old guys to the younger mushers.</p>
<p>musicamusica, I just glanced at that website but please know that it presents a skewed view of the race. Do some investigation into the veterinary requirements these days and form your own opinion. </p>
<p>Just as one glaring inaccuracy: The winner of the race does earn substantial prize money, but no one is getting rich off the dogs. Most of these mushers live the way they live because they love the dogs and love the sport - many of them have trouble making ends meet through the year. </p>
<p>I am a huge animal lover and seeing those dogs leaping into the air with excitement and joy at the beginning of the race is a lovely thing. They are doing what they were born to do and trained to do.</p>
<p>Those mushers depend on those dogs for their lives. They want them to end the race happy and healthy.</p>
<p>I hope this link works (Anchorage Daily News). It shows three of the mushers talking about how their attitudes affect their dog. The woman is the one in second place.</p>
<p>[Iditarod</a> Live: The Sled Blog : Grumpy mushers make for grumpy sled dogs | adn.com](<a href=“http://community.adn.com/?q=adn/node/160325]Iditarod”>http://community.adn.com/?q=adn/node/160325)</p>
<p>I have read some pro’s and con’s of the Iditarod regarding the dogs. The example above regarding Aily Zirkle is a great one; another is Colleen Robertia (was in 28th place last I looked). Her kennel get awards for excellent dog health and treatment; she only uses rescues and other kennel’s rejects to form her team, and she does quite well. Colleen and her partner/spouse seem to be the example of anti-cruelty. So many other mushers are excellent examples as well, including the musher this year that used his own body to block the wind for his whole pack, who had eaten something that made them sick and unfortunately they all realized they couldn’t go another step out there in the middle of nowhere, so he blocked the wind while they all laid down in the snow waiting to be rescued (and he scratched for this year). Another terrific example of how much mushers love their dogs is when another musher this year gave his dog mouth-to-snout CPR when the dog’s heart just stopped on the trail; the dog was revived and is back at his home kennel and doing well.</p>
<p>I’m a big advocate for the fair treatment of animals, but at the same time, with the right person and team, these animals will work extremely hard out of love, and then they all will celebrate and be spoiled after the race is over, whether they finish or not. It is a hard race, and most mushers won’t even attempt it, but for many of them, they love their dogs and will not put them in danger of their health and life.</p>
<p>Regarding the winning pot: The winnings are not huge … I think the winner this year may get $46,000, but that barely will cover all the food and other expense to have dogs, pay bills and buy all that high end food these dogs eat in a typical day. I read the that top 5 will split something like $215,000 this year and the top 20 will get some kind of winnings. The rest will not and will have invested all this training for no winnings at all.</p>
<p>Well stated! There is an article in the ADN today about the prize money this year:</p>
<p>[Iditarod</a> Live: The Sled Blog : The payday list: How much each of the top finishers will win | adn.com](<a href=“http://community.adn.com/adn/node/160316]Iditarod”>http://community.adn.com/adn/node/160316)</p>
<p>Dallas Seavey should be passing under the burled arches in Nome any time now. At 25, he will be the youngest winner ever.</p>
<p>Tired, I just found a live stream of the imminent finish on KTUU tv website … it is near!</p>
<p>Awesome, Snowflake, just caught it - how strange to be sitting in Australia watching the end of the Iditarod. Thanks for the headsup.</p>
<p>When the last musher crosses the finish line in Nome, all the people in Anchorage can turn off their outside Christmas lights. That’s the official end of the winter season (but not usually the end of the snow!).</p>
<p>Congrats to Dallas! The torch has been passed.</p>
<p>My S’s 5th grade teacher did a whole unit with the kids on the Iditarod with each student being assigned a different musher to follow. My S was really captivated. His musher finished second and he was totally hooked. We have been close Iditarod followers ever since.</p>
<p>When it came time for this S to choose a topic for his hs senior project, he chose to research what it takes to train and run in the Iditarod. He contacted a veteran Iditarod musher who hailed from our state and was willing to serve as his outside expert, and for his applied piece he constructed a dogsled. This kid’s head is filled with Iditarod info and trivia, and volunteering at the race one year is on his bucket list.</p>
<p>While watching last night, we said wouldn’t it be something if Dallas Seavey is the winner and his grandfather, Dan, wins the red lantern (last)! Dan is currently third from last. Dallas’s dad, Mitch, finished seventh.</p>
<p>my-3-sons … thanks for sharing. How cool that your son could be connected like that. I’m so amazed at so many stories I have read of the mushers and their dogs and the lifestyle. I love it when people are passionate about what they do, whatever it is.</p>