Sports Galleries

Iditarod XXXVII - The Challenge : I am an unabashed fan of the Iditarod, a truly unique event that for 16 days each March unites us Alaskans - despite our differences - in wonder and appreciation for the intrepid mushers and their amazingly athletic canine teams. I've been following this annual 1,000-mile sled dog race on TV and in the newspaper every year since I first arrived in Alaska 33 years ago. Many years I have gone downtown or out along the trail here in Anchorage to cheer on the mushers as they take their ceremonial run through the city on the first Saturday of March. My husband has been an Iditarod volunteer over the past few years, so we have traveled to Willow, about 70 miles north of Anchorage, for the restart, as well. Last year right after the race, he suggested that it might be fun to take a trip out to Nome for the 2009 finish, and I, of course, agreed, having never been to the finish, nor even Western Alaska. So we made our reservations for a week at the funky but friendly Nome Nugget Inn, right at the finish line, and started counting down the months. Finally, March 7th arrived, the day of the "ceremonial start" in Anchorage. This is a short 11-mile run, mostly for the benefit of the fans, from downtown Anchorage, along a trail through town to the Campbell Airstrip. Most of Anchorage, as well as supporters from around the world, gather all along the route (or around their TV sets) to cheer on their favorites and celebrate the sport. In this gallery and in the one following, "Nome Sweet Nome," I will be sharing some of my photographic impressions of this year's very memorable "last great race."

Iditarod XXXVII - The Challenge

I am an unabashed fan of the Iditarod, a truly unique event that for 16 days each March unites us Alaskans - despite our differences - in wonder and appreciation for the intrepid mushers and their amazingly athletic canine teams. I've been following this annual 1,000-mile sled dog race on TV and in the newspaper every year since I fi ...

Updated: Apr 05, 2009 9:51pm PST

Iditorod XXXVII - Nome Sweet Nome : When we made our Nome reservations last year, we decided to plan our arrival for the eighth day of the race, trusting that none of the mushers would get there any sooner than Martin Buser's record time of eight days and 22 hours. As it turned out, we needn't have worried as the race took almost 10 days for Lance Mackey, the first-place finisher, to complete. Conditions along the trail were trying for many of the mushers -- warm and slushy at first, then deep snow, crashes, wipeouts, brutal cold, blistering winds. Fifteen mushers were unable to finish the race, including seven rookies. The Anchorage Daily News had excellent coverage of the race, and the links to its reports are here; http://www.adn.com/iditarod/ There is nothing like first-person accounts to give you a "feel" for the mushers' struggles and triumphs, and I would encourage visitors here to my site to read a few of these articles before proceeding to my photos of the finish.

Iditorod XXXVII - Nome Sweet Nome

When we made our Nome reservations last year, we decided to plan our arrival for the eighth day of the race, trusting that none of the mushers would get there any sooner than Martin Buser's record time of eight days and 22 hours. As it turned out, we needn't have worried as the race took almost 10 days for Lance Mackey, the first-place f ...

Updated: Apr 08, 2009 2:40pm PST

Iditarod XXXVI - March 2008 : These are photos from the March 1, 2008, ceremonial start in Anchorage of the 36th Iditarod sled dog race and the beginning of the actual race in Willow the next morning. As of today, March 14th, about 33 mushers are still on the trail, so the standings I've posted may change. One thing is clear, though -- Lance Mackey has done it again, winning his second straight Iditarod, after winning his fourth straight Yukon Quest 1000-mile race in mid-February, a truly phenomenal feat. Congratulations, Lance! You are a great champion.

Iditarod XXXVI - March 2008

These are photos from the March 1, 2008, ceremonial start in Anchorage of the 36th Iditarod sled dog race and the beginning of the actual race in Willow the next morning. As of today, March 14th, about 33 mushers are still on the trail, so the standings I've posted may change. One thing is clear, though -- Lance Mackey has done it a ...

Updated: Mar 12, 2008 11:04pm PST

Iditarod XXXV - The race begins :

Iditarod XXXV - The race begins

Updated: Mar 09, 2007 9:12pm PST

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