Worlds Greatest Race Each Winter!!!
Lexi Gresko Richard Rapuano Luke Fletcher Period1&5 Iditarod
Basic Facts!
- Worlds most famous sled dog race
- longest sled dog race
- 1000 dogs compete
- over 70 teams
- 16 dogs 1 musher
- top 30 teams share $650,000
- 1150mi, rough, icy, whiteout conditions, -40 degrees, powerful winds; 50 to 100km/hr
The Trail
- From Anchorage to Nome, Alaska
- Starts and ends at same place just different trail
- Trail goes one way in even years, another way in odd years
- Iditarod is a city, river, a trail and a race
- An area in Willow, Alaska is called "Moose Alley"
Getting Ready
- Mushers provide their sled dogs high-fat kibble food
- Mushers keep portions small yet many calories
- Dogs exercise/train for Iditarod in the cold; so they don't overheat their bodies
- Dogs are given snacks frequently during the trip
- Some mushers put vitamins in sled dogs meal
- On trips musher feeds the sled dogs salmon, moose, and reindeer
- All teams are required to take one 24-hour break and two 8-hour breaks
- At rest stops dogs get fed favorite meal: dog food mixed with lamb , chicken, beef or seal meat
- Before and during the race, animal doctors (veterinarians) check the health of each dog
Dangerous Diphtheria
- Diphtheria is a dangerous disease which is now rare because of childhood vaccinations
- In February 1925, an outbreak of Diphtheria threatened the isolated city of Nome, Alaska
- Twenty teams of mushers and over 100 dogs delivered the medicine to treat kids who have Diphtheria in Nome, Alaska in about 5 1/2 days
Dogs & their Mushers
- Iditarod is often called "Last Great Race"
- Dogs can only exercise vigorously in cold; no overheating, more stamina
- Run 6 hours rest 6 hours, big meal at beginning of rest and at end of rest hours, fed snacks while running rarely
- Fed 60-70% fat, burns it off by running
- Dog teams travel land that was unusable by automobile
- Dogs wear fleece booties (dog shoes) to protect from scratches and bruises from ice, each team wears out about 1000 booties each race
- Kids in Alaska get the day off to watch the race
- Musher shouts commands :
Gee: turn right
Haw: turn left
Whoa: stop
Mush! Hike! All right! Let's Go!: Run
Work Cited
Fraser, Stephen. "The Amazing Race." Current Science (Vol. 94, No. 12). 27 Feb. 2009: 4+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
"Iditarod." Iditarod -Last Great Race. Iditarod Trail Committee, 2015. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
"Mush! Let's Go!." Chickadee (Toronto, Canada) Vol. 26, No. 10. Dec. 2004: 8+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
Iditarod Facts and Information for Kids | KidsKonnect
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140308-iditarod-dogs-sled-race-alaska-willow-science/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/alaska/iditarod/