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Iditarod

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, usually called "the Iditarod", is an annual dog-sled race in Alaska, U.S., that commemorates a 1925 relay to transport anti-diphtheria serum from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nome, Alaska, to combat an outbreak of the disease. The vaccine went by train from Anchorage to Nenana, Alaska, and then a series of dog mushers took it overland a total of 674 miles (1085 km) in 127.5 hours.

The trail for the race does not follow the route the vaccine took in 1925 but, instead, a trail through largely unpopulated tundra that was chosen to test the mettle of the sled dogs and their drivers. It is named for the ghost town of Iditarod, Alaska, it passes through, which was an Athabascan Indian village before gold was discovered nearby in 1908; a town was built there which became the center of the Iditarod Mining District in 1910, but it did not outlast the local gold-rush.

On March 20, 1985 Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the race. The event is critized by animal rights activists, as dogs dying because of exhaustion during the trail are rather common.

Past winners: ( Musher & Lead dog(s) - Duration day-h-min-s)


1925 route through Nenana in gray
Race trail through Iditarod in red

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Animal Rights: Dog Racing (About.com)
Links to anti-greyhound racing sites. From About.com.
http://animalrights.about.com/culture/animalrights/msubdogracing.htm

Grey2K USA
A national organization dedicated to ending greyhound racing. Provides contacts, reasons for their motivation, news items, membership details, volunteer opportunities, and upcoming events.
http://www.grey2kusa.org/

Australian Racing Industry Welfare Guidelines
Adapted from recommendations by the International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians, these guidelines cover all aspects of racing, from the initial preparation of horses to their retirement.
http://www.racingnsw.com.au/page.asp?parm=vet.WELFAREGUIDELINES

GreyhoundRacingSucks.com
Personal page dedicated to trying to end greyhound racing.
http://www.greyhoundracingsucks.com

The Jockey Club (UK): Safety & Welfare
Welfare initiatives, role of veterinary officer, horse welfare FAQ and medical update. From the regulatory authority for horseracing in the UK.
http://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/safety/safetyframeset.html

Iditarod Facts
Supportive facts about the Iditarod, researched in response to repeated charges of inhumane treatment of dogs, with common sense responses to their assertions and musher responses.
http://sunhusky.com/Facts

Iditarod Dogs
Articles concerning cruelty, and deaths of dogs.
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/iditarod.html

PETA: End the Suffering of Dogs in the Iditarod
Activism site campaigning against sponsorship of the race.
http://www.peta.org/feat/sled/index.html



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