Stealie, the unexpected leader who never looked back
In our first daily Iditarod dog profile, we bring you Stealie, rookie Eric Kelly's main leader.
Iditapod: A joyful, more normal Iditarod start
The 2022 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicked off Saturday in Anchorage with its usual fanfare, after not holding a ceremonial start in 2021. Alaska Public Media reporters Casey Grove, Tegan Hanlon, Lex Treinen and Jeff Chen were out in the snow with the mushers, dogs and race fans, including plenty of kids and other trailgaters.
Our favorite 30 photos from the snowy 2022 Iditarod ceremonial start
As one race fan put it, the Iditarod felt back to "normal-ish."
The race is on: Iditarod teams hit the trail in Willow under clear skies
Some mushers worried about the heat for their dogs as warm temperatures heated the snow.
Before first light, lead Iditarod teams pull into Finger Lake checkpoint
Finger Lake is about 125 miles into the 1,000-mile race.
Iditapod: Different strokes for different folks
As Alaska Public Media reporters Jeff Chen and Lex Treinen head out on the trail, Iditapod host Casey Grove updates some of the early Iditarod standings. Plus, we have a story of an ER nurse whose training for the Iditarod helped him cope with the trauma of working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Lex also brings us a report on the Sunday restart in Willow, as well as another dog profile, and we have a couple questions with a couple different answers (watch out: one involves some math).
Viva, the sled dog queen
Rookie Gerhardt Thiart has a very specific story for choosing Viva for his Iditarod team.
Last year, he was running an Iditarod qualifier when he...
Here’s what some of the first Iditarod mushers remember about the early years of the 1,000-mile race
A couple hundred people packed into the basement of Settlers Bay Lodge last week to commemorate the earlier years of the Iditarod.
Iditapod bonus: Bridgett Watkins interview with Lex Treinen
Editor's note: This extended interview discusses a violent encounter with a moose and might not be suitable for all listeners. Alaska Public Media's Lex Treinen gets all the details of rookie Iditarod musher Bridgett Watkins' run-in with a moose while on a training run near Salcha, in Interior Alaska, in early February.
Aaron Burmeister first Iditarod musher to reach Nikolai, while Brent Sass is first to dash out
The race started Sunday in Willow. The winner is expected sometime early next week in Nome, on Alaska’s western coast.
How do mushers afford the Iditarod? Anja Radano says every year it’s a struggle.
Running the Iditarod takes months of preparation, training and a lot of money. While some mushers have major tour businesses and sponsors that help fund their kennels and pay for staff, Radano waits tables to help balance the big bills that come with being a dog musher.
Iditarod teams met by ‘super good trail’ as they enter Alaska Range
At Rainy Pass Lodge, many mushers soaked up the mountain views and the love from a few excited tourists who arrived on charter planes.
Iditarod rookie describes trip down steep and twisty Dalzell Gorge as ‘just zip, zoom, zag, bing, bang, boom’
Teams must navigate the Dalzell Gorge on their way to Rohn. It's marked by a series of steep downhills and some very tight turns.
Aaron Burmeister and his 13-dog team are first to McGrath
For his first-place arrival, Burmeister won a pair of locally-made musher mitts and a musher hat.
Nala, the peppy cheerleader who’s a little afraid of bubble gum
What Nala lacks in leadership, she more than makes up for in personality.
Steve, who’s kind of a jerk
Fairbanks veteran Lisbet Norris doesn’t hesitate to say she has a favorite dog on her team of fluffy Siberian huskies.
Tundra, an unpredictable captain
Alberta musher Aaron Peck has some contradictory things to say about Tundra, a 5-time Iditarod veteran and one of his main leaders.
“He's a leader,...
Sherlock, just a big doofus
Sherlock doesn’t live up to his name. “He would not be a very good detective," says Olson.
Iditarod teams navigate rough, windblown trail into Nikolai
Hugh Neff said his 54-year-old arms were exhausted by the constant bumping. “I’ve taken a few Tylenols, let’s say,” he said.
Eureka musher Brent Sass is first into Cripple, the Iditarod’s halfway point
Defending champion Dallas Seavey was the first musher to leave of Ophir. Brent Sass later passed him on the trail.