March 18, 2008
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Iditarod Red Lantern
UPDATED
BELOWDeborah Bicknell got to Nome with 8 dogs about 8:30 last night. Her time on the trail was 15 days, 5 hours, 36 minutes, 12 seconds. That time would have been fast enough to have won the race in ’73, ’74, ’76, ’77, ’79, ’82, and ’85. Since 1996, winning times have all been under ten days.
Photo by Peggy Fagerstrom, Associated Press, from newsminer.com.
UPDATE
Some good questions were asked and answered in comments here — worth a read. …and, if you have any further questions about Iditarod or sled dog racing, this would be a good time and place to ask. I will do my best to find answers if I don’t already know.
Comments (9)
makes one wonder what they give the dogs to increase their endurance & pace.
well,, she looks happy,,, either,, (a) she had a good time or (b) shes glad its over or (c) probably both.
that lantern looks like a trophy of some sort…. is it mandatory to like stop at nite,, or ,,, you just run on thru??? now that would be a hard run…
@illgrindmyownthankyou -
It is a combination of improved breeding, training, and nutrition. Puppy selection is also a factor. The top mushers look for different qualities, and some pups show the talents of a lead dog, for example, very young, while others just naturally work better at wheel. It is what the mushers know, more than what they “give the dogs,” but feeding is important, too, as well as hydration. I remember in the ’80s somebody observed that a handful of cat food scattered in a dish of water would encourage the dogs to drink more. Now many mushers carry cat food on the trail.
One of the greatest innovators in breeding and nutrition was Susan Butcher. One of her sponsors was Iams, and they changed their dog food formulas based on what Susan learned from her dogs. My dog eats Iams.
@illgrindmyownthankyou -
If you were thinking drugs — final standings are not posted, and winnings are not awarded until the drug tests come back negative.
Now the great race is over until next year! Cat food is good for a lot of things… heck our silly ducks like getting a handful of dry cat food tossed out for them. They gobble it up as if it was candy. And of course the small pieces that are missed are picked up by other birds. What a cleaver trick to get the dogs to drink more water. So much is learned about canine care through races such as this. Thanks for all the various interesting posts that you write about… i always enjoy reading because it brings me into a different world… but then Alaska IS a different world! giggles… hugs..
@mejicojohn -
The Widow’s Lamp is lit at the start of the race, and kept burning
until the last musher blows it out. She’ll get a Red Lantern trophy,
engraved with her name, the date, and her time.
No, stopping at
night is not mandatory. This year the weather was so warm that most
mushers took their rests in the daytime to make it easier on the dogs. There are two mandatory 8-hour rests, one of them on the Yukon River, the other at White Mountain, 77 miles from the finish in Nome. Also, every team has to take one 24-hour layover somewhere at a checkpoint, otherwise stopping and going is up to the team, and it is usually the dogs that make that decision, if the musher is smart.
Man that is a feat of endurance for all involved my congratulations to all involved.
well, at first everyone took my post completely seriously -_-
i had to add the big SATIRE at the end so that people would get it
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