Greetings from

Alaska is home to, what is known as, “The Last Great Race on Earth” with the first race dating back to March 3, 1973.  The Iditarod (eye-DIT-a-rod) Trail Sled Dog Race covers over 1,000 miles, (officially set at 1,049 miles to honor Alaska’s status as the 49th state) from    Anchorage to Nome.  The longest dog sled race in the world, it is a  grueling event lasting 8-17 days.  The first team to cross the finish line receives the purse, while the last musher receives the Red Lantern Award.   During the days of Alaska sled dog freighting and mail carrying, drivers relied on roadhouses between villages for safety.  Word would be relayed ahead that a musher and team were on the trail and a kerosene lamp was lit and hung outside the roadhouse signifying that a team was somewhere out on the trail and the lamp was not extinguished until the musher reached his destination.  In keeping with that tradition, when the last musher crosses the finish line, officials will extinguish the lamp signifying the official end of the Iditarod for that year.  Let it be remembered, Iditarod is not over until the last musher has reached Nome and is off the trail...everyone who finishes is a winner.  The race pits man and animal against wild Alaska and is a tribute to Alaska’s history and the role the sled dog played...