Junior Iditarod Express
Everything people want to know....... 2/4/16 period 1/7
Mushers
- Musher- is a person who guides and care for the team
- Junior Iditarod is open to ages 13 to 17
- They test the mushers skills at guiding and caring for their dogs
- Adult Iditarod is open to ages 18 and up
- Mushers are required an emergency gear and a checklist
Racing
- Teens race 160 miles
- When the junior Iditarod teams are halfway of the race they must rest for 10 hours
- Junior Iditarod race lasts two days
- Iditarod for the adults get to rest for 24 hour plus two extra 8 hours
- Adult iditarod race about 1,046
- Adult iditarod lasts about two weeks
Location
- Anchorange, Alaska
- Ends at Nome
Date
- Every February
Reason
- Teens that are included in the junior iditarod dog race gives them a taste of the Alaskan wilderness
- Teens want to join the Iditarod, but they where to young so they created the junior Iditarod to give teens a chance to feel like they where in the real Iditarod
Challenges
- Dogs can over heat if the temperature is above freezing
- Thermometer dips to 20 below 0 degrees with no chill factor
- Weather conditions put them in risk of injuries and death
Fun Facts
- Winners in the junior iditarod gets a trophy and a 5,000 dollar collage scholarship
- Adult's get a 60,000 dollars if they win
- A boy named Seavey holds a record for the youngest musher ever to win in 2012
- Seavey also came from a mushing family
Work Cited
Race Across Alaska." Weekly Reader-3 (Vol. 74, No. 19). Feb. 25 2005: 2+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.
Shahan, Sherry. "Teens, Their Dogs, and an Amazing Race." Christian Science Monitor. Feb. 19 2008: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.