"The Last Great Race on Earth" - Iditarod - 2004 - has just begun!

According to the Official Site of the Last Great Race (www.iditarod.com ), it has been called the "Last Great Race on Earth" and it has won worldwide acclaim and interest. German, Spanish, British, Japanese and American film crews have covered the event.

Journalists from outdoor magazines, adventure magazines, newspapers and wire services go to Anchorage and Nome to cover the big event.

The participations start at Anchorage, the capital in Alaska, located in south central part of Alaska. Anchorage is a city of over 250,000 people, with street lights, freeways and traffic. From here the race goes to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast. Each team have 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days. 

As the Official Site of the Last Great Race see it: It's not just a dog sled race, it's a race in which unique men and woman compete. Mushers enter from all walks of life. Fishermen, lawyers, doctors, miners, artists, natives, Canadians, Swiss, French and others; men and women each with their own story, each with their own reasons for going the distance. It's a race organized and run primarily by volunteers, thousands of volunteers, men and women, students and village residents.

The race is also for commemoration. The race pits man and animal against nature, against wild Alaska at her best and as each mile is covered, a tribute to Alaska's past is issued. The Iditarod is actual a commemoration of dramatic events in the past. In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in. All via dog sled: heroes were made, legends were born.

The Last Great Race on Earth, Iditarod, is for people who like real big challenges, and it`s definitely the spirit of Alaska!

Stein Morten Lund, 12 March 2004

Additional information
For more information about the race and update, click on the link www.iditarod.com