Iditarod: Behind The Scenes
By: Derric Butta Jr. and Corey Parham
How it started
The Iditarod started in 1925 when the town of Nome was suffering from diphtheria. The dogs ran on the Iditarod trail to get the medicine and saved Nome. After that the Iditarod trail got a lot of fame.
The mushers are laying down hay for their dogs and taking a rest for another journey.
About the adventures of the dogs and mushers
- At least one dog has died in every race
- Most mushers start with 16 dogs
- In 2016, one musher only started with 12 dogs
- Dogs burn up to 12000 calories
About the checkpoints
- Located in villages
- Mushers feed their dogs fat at checkpoints
- Mushers must lay straw for their dogs
- There are 27 checkpoints
Works Cited
Crane, Cody. "Cool Runnings." Science World (Vol. 65, No. 10). 23 Feb. 2009: 8+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
"Iditarod." Iditarod -Last Great Race. Iditarod Trail Committee, 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016
Royte, Elizabeth. "Mush, Mush, Mush, Dammit, Mush!." Outside. Dec. 1996: 120+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.