Sunday, March 11, 2012

Can He Do it Twice in a Row?

Last year I wrote about John Baker's first place finish in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  The race is on again.  And, again, John is a contender.  This year the race is especially exciting - four teams are within striking distance of one another, and they are closing in on Nome.  You can follow this race in real time.  go to the Iditarod web site and subscribe as an "Insider".  There, you can log onto the GPS tracker that updates every 10 minutes and displays the mushers' positions on a map of the course.  It is 40 below zero out on the coast where the leaders are driving into the night.  The dogs are checked by a veterinarian at each checkpoint.  The few not fit to go on are dropped, and carried back to Anchorage by the "Iditarod Airforce", a volunteer corps of small planes.  They are looked after by more volunteers in a temporary kennel in a warehouse at Northern Air Cargo.  The rest of the team and their musher push on.  

Do yourself a favor.  Watch the rest of this year's Last Great Race.  See video on the web site, see progress on the GPS map, think of the dogs with their booties, harness and flapping tongues.  Wish you, too, could - just once - have the stamina and drive to run 1,000 miles. 

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