by Pat DeNuccio ’13
The Iditarod, a great 1,150-mile dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome Alaska, began in 1973 and has been raced every year since then. The race is along the Iditarod trail, one important to Alaska’s history. During the gold rush, the Iditarod trail was created to transport mail and supplies. In 1925, there was a diphtheria epidemic in Nome but the closest source of medicine was in Anchorage. The trail from Anchorage to Nome was nearly impassable by any method other than by dogsled. In 1925, twenty mushers and their dogs from Anchorage made the unbearable trek from Anchorage to Nome in six days. The mushers brought with them antitoxin serum to save Nome from being completely decimated by diphtheria.
Although the trail was so necessary in the early 1900’s and prior, when air travel was introduced, the use of the Iditarod trail decreased substantially. In the 1960’s Dorothy Page, a Wasilla resident, staged a race during Alaska’s centennial celebrations in 1967 to honor the importance of the trail. This was just a 27-mile race which was won by Isaac Okleasik, who was awarded $25,000 for his victory. The next year there was no race due lack of snow but the race was resumed in 1969. However, this one was a near failure. There were only twelve mushers and the reward was only $1,000. After much determination and sacrifice, in March of 1973 Dorothy Page and Joe Redington Sr. persuaded officials to hold the first full-length Iditarod. Dick Wilmarth won the first Iditarod finishing the race in twenty days.
Since then, the Iditarod has become famous as being considered one of the most difficult sporting events; some people consider it the toughest race on earth. Wyatt Marshall, a recreational musher from Westhampton, MA, says that dog sled races are hectic with dogs howling and barking but the Iditarod is like no other. “But the Iditarod also has the factor of survival.” says Marshall, “It would be hard for anyone to survive in that kind of weather.” Referring to the -100°f wind chill mushers are likely to experience during the Iditarod, “But they have to stay alive, and keep their dogs alive and well enough to run.”
However, the most difficult part of being a musher isn’t actually the racing, Marshall says it is the lifestyle. Marshall has 6 dogs and says that the routine for feeding, playing with, and caring for the dogs is no simple task. Iditarod racers have up to 15 or more dogs which are their pets and they must take intense care for. Racing in the Iditarod is a task few people could handle, that is why not only the top finishers are awarded, but also the last place finisher is awarded with a red lantern to praise the musher for his/her persistence.
There is so much rich history that many Alaskans consider the Iditarod a celebration of their state’s heritage. The race is so influential and seems like a tradition that will span far into the future. However, the future of this great race is being threatened by the climate change in Alaska. Lately, the temperatures have been much higher than they usually are during the months leading up to the race. The temperatures have been in the 30’s and 40’s rather than the subzero temperatures that are ideal for dogsledding.
These warm weathers create many issues for the Iditarod. The most obvious issue is that there is lack of snow. Last year Anchorage had 134.5 inches of snow, this year however, the tally for Anchorage is 39.2 inches. Another huge issue is that the rookie mushers run into much difficulty in qualifying for the Iditarod. In order to qualify for the race, a musher must log two 300-mile races and additional races adding up to 750 miles. This is a big problem because due to the lack of snow, many qualifying races are being postponed or cancelled. Mushers already qualified also run into issues due to cancellations because they cannot run as many training races as they plan to.
Another issue posed by the warmer weathers is the dogs working in conditions that they aren’t accustomed to. Sled dogs run best at temperatures between -20° and 0°. The dogs overheat if they are competing in warmer temperatures and don’t work at full efficiency. Erin McLarnon, a musher and Iditarod spokesperson, along with many other mushers have actually started breeding dogs with thinner coats. Another problem the dogs face is that the dogs aren’t running on the snow covering they are used to; this can be very damaging to their paws. The sleds can also break if there is not ample snow on the trail.
Not only are the dogs and mushing equipment at harm but the mushers are put into danger also. Scott Janssen, a musher from Kasilof, Alaska says, “We joke, but there’s a big concern about these river crossings.” The Iditarod trail passes over rivers and if the rivers are not frozen enough, lives are on the line. Zoya De Nure, an Iditarod finisher has already crashed once this year due to bumpy conditions caused by lack of snow.
One of the rules in the Iditarod is that the race will be held as scheduled no matter what the weather conditions are. Although the rule is pretty clear, think back to what Scott Janssen said about the river crossings. If a musher were to severely injure themselves or even die due to the warmer weather would that rule be abolished? Although the race will happen as scheduled no matter what, the Race Marshall can modify the trail if it makes common sense.
The trail can be altered, but what if the world continues to get warmer and warmer as many environmentalists believe? What if ten years from now, the trail isn’t safe no matter how much it is modified? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Over the next century, it is expected that sea ice will continue to decline, glaciers will continue to shrink, snow cover will continue to decrease, and permafrost will continue to thaw.” The EPA says this will have greatest impact on Northern Latitudes, which is where Alaska happens to be.
Matt Spearing, an environmental science teacher at the Williston Northampton School, says that although some places on the earth are warming and other places are cooling, the overall surface temperature of the earth is increasing. He says climate change has a greater impact than just the temperature, it also changes wind patterns and precipitation. Spearing says that climate change effects more than just the climate, “Climate change has cultural, economic, and social consequences like changing food distribution, access to clean water, and events like the Iditarod.”
The Iditarod is known for being a competition that the mushers let nothing get in their way of the finish line, even having no snow. Is the determination of the mushers enough to keep the race alive or will Mother Nature eventually end this Alaskan tradition? If the Iditarod eventually comes to an end, one thing is certain, the race committee and mushers won’t go down without a fight.
