Why is There a Weight Limit
In general, the more weight in the sled, the more dogs required to pull that weight. We do not have an unlimited number of dogs. We keep enough dogs to handle fifteen, near weight limit sleds on good trail conditions.
Driving a dog sled takes skill. The more weight that is in the sled, the more power is required to keep the sled moving, and the more skill that is required from the guide to control that power. We are comfortable with the amount of power and skill required to pull 350 pounds of guests.
Sleds (on snow in winter): 8 months Carts (on dry ground, not winter): No limits really The ride is a sedentary activity that people of all ages can enjoy. The ride is also completely outside and the guests will experience the weather as it happens and the trail conditions as they exist. In most circumstances, the ride is suitable for people between the ages of one and eighty. In perfect conditions the ride is suitable for people between six months and one hundred. In poor conditions the ride is barely suitable for our professional guides and dogs.
Our rides are fairly gently and accessible to most people most of the time. If you have any of the following conditions, however, you may want to reconsider our rides or consult a doctor (who will say dont go on the ride) or a trusted confidant.
WEIGHT AND HEIGHT LIMITS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON TRAIL CONDITIONS.
Due to the unguided nature of hangouts and the number of loose dogs around you, hangouts are limited to ages ten plus.
How many people can dog sled?
How many people can mush at once? When we’re using the sleds, up to three people can be in a sled/wheeled vehicle at one time.
Sick, injured, tired Iditarod dogs don’t want to run
Craig Medred, outdoors columnist for the Anchorage Daily News, told Weekly Reader Current Events (3/3/06), “It’s pretty hard to imagine the enthusiasm these dogs have for racing….”
But dogs feel pain just like humans do. They are not machines.
How can dogs be enthusiastic about running when they’re sick, injured or exhausted?
Do you think these dog are enthusiastic about running in the Iditarod?
“Brutal winds and temperatures to 20 degrees below zero were terrorizing those who hadn’t yet made it through Rainy Pass.”
“Wind chill temperatures were pushing down to 55 to 60 degrees below zero.”
“Conditions were so grim dog teams hoping to continue down the Iditarod Trail were having a hard time just getting out of this checkpoint Monday night and early this morning. They struggled in the dark, wind and cold.”
– Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News, March 6, 2007 [
“‘(The winds) literally picked your whole team up and threw them off the trail.”
– Musher Donald Smidt talking about the 2007 Iditarod – Carlos Muñoz, Fond du Lac Reporter, December 30, 2007
81 percent of the dogs who finish the Iditarod have lung damage:
“To investigate, the team of researchers examined the airways of 59 sled dogs 24 to 48 hours after they completed the long and arduous race. Their findings are published in the September issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The researchers found that 81% of the canines had “abnormal accumulations” of mucus or cellular debris in their lower airways. This accumulation was classified as moderate to severe in nearly half of the animals, according to the report. There was no evidence that the lung damage could be due to bacterial infection, the authors note. Instead, they say, it was likely caused by cooling and drying out of peripheral airway passages, resulting in injury and inflammation.”
– Reuters Health,Tue Oct 8, 2002, 2:17 PM ET
Airway dysfunction persists despite 4 months of rest:
“CONCLUSIONS: Racing Alaskan sled dogs have airway dysfunction similar to ‘ski asthma’ that persists despite having 4 months of rest. These findings suggest that repeated exercise in cold conditions can lead to airway disease that does not readily resolve with cessation of exercise.”
– Davis M, Williamson K, McKenzie E, Royer C, Payton M, Nelson S., “Effect of training and rest on respiratory mechanical properties in racing sled dogs.” Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2005 Feb;37(2):337-41 on PubMed website.
Dogs who couldn’t make it across Iditarod finish line:
| Year | Number of dogs starting race | Number of dogs finishing race | Number of dogs not finishing race | Percentage of dogs not finishing race |
| 2002 | 1,024 | 524 | 500 | 49% |
| 2003 | 1,024 | 381 | 643 | 63% |
| 2004 | 1,391 | 734 | 657 | 47% |
| 2005 | 1,264 | 585 | 679 | 54% |
| 2006 | 1,328 | 737 | 591 | 45% |
| 2007 | 1,308 | 564 | 744 | 57% |
| 2008 | 1,517 | 807 | 710 | 47% |
| 2009 | 1,072 | 575 | 497 | 46% |
| 2010 | 1,136 | 550 | 586 | 52% |
| 2011 | 992 | 451 | 541 | 45% |
| 2012 | 1056 | 555 | 501 | 47% |
| 2013 | 944 | 543 | 401 | 42% |
| 2014 | 1104 | 493 | 611 | 55% |
| 2015 | 1260 | 721 | 539 | 43% |
| 2016 | 1,376 | 734 | 642 | 47% |
– Statistics come from data on Iditarod website [We are rarely told what happened to these dogs after the race.]
Race officials encouraged injured musher to continue racing tired and sick dogs:
“Coming into the Ruby checkpoint, 615 miles from Anchorage and just under 500 from Nome, Madsen had just come through a hard run along the Yukon. He and his team had endured miles of fighting 50 mph sustained winds with gust up to 75 mph. There were places the trail was blown out.
Madsen was burned out, and the dogs were not rested. He knew they were going slowly.
Some of the dogs had been sick with diarrhea and treated at a prior checkpoint. They showed little spark after that.
Battling the winds, Madsen could practically see their body fat melting off. Not only that, the sled hit a stump on the trail forcing Madsen’s upper body into the handles. An X-ray at a later checkpoint revealed a rib broken in several places.”
“After two or three hours of sleep, some food and a pep talk from race officials, he felt he could go on.” [Emphasis added]
– Kay Richardson, The Columbian, April 16, 2006
Dogs who finished Iditarod with lung damage:
According to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in 2002, 81 percent of the dogs who finish the Iditarod have lung damage.
| Year | Number of dogs finishing race | Number of finishing dogs with lung damage |
| 2002 | 524 | 424 |
| 2003 | 381 | 309 |
| 2004 | 734 | 595 |
| 2005 | 585 | 474 |
| 2006 | 737 | 597 |
| 2007 | 564 | 457 |
| 2008 | 807 | 654 |
| 2009 | 575 | 466 |
| 2010 | 550 | 446 |
| 2011 | 451 | 365 |
| 2012 | 555 | 450 |
| 2013 | 543 | 440 |
| 2014 | 493 | 399 |
| 2015 | 721 | 584 |
| 2016 | 734 | 595 |
– Statistics come from data on Iditarod website
Dogs who finished Iditarod with ulcers or ulcerations:
According to a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2005, 61 percent of the dogs who finish the race have ulcers or ulcerations compared to zero percent before the race.
| Year | Number of dogs finishing race | Number of finishing dogs with ulcers or ulcerations |
| 2002 | 524 | 320 |
| 2003 | 381 | 232 |
| 2004 | 734 | 448 |
| 2005 | 585 | 357 |
| 2006 | 737 | 450 |
| 2007 | 564 | 344 |
| 2008 | 807 | 492 |
| 2009 | 575 | 351 |
| 2010 | 550 | 336 |
| 2011 | 451 | 275 |
| 2012 | 555 | 339 |
| 2013 | 543 | 331 |
| 2014 | 493 | 301 |
| 2015 | 721 | 440 |
| 2016 | 734 | 448 |
– Statistics come from data on Iditarod website
Dogs who finished Iditarod with lung damage AND ulcers or ulcerations:
Using the above mentioned studies, each year from 42 percent to 61 percent of the dogs finish the Iditarod with lung damage AND ulcers or ulcerations.
| Year | Number of dogs finishing race | Number range of finishing dogs with lung damage AND ulcers or ulcerations (42% to 61%) |
| 2002 | 524 | 220 to 320 |
| 2003 | 381 | 160 to 232 |
| 2004 | 734 | 308 to 448 |
| 2005 | 585 | 246 to 357 |
| 2006 | 737 | 310 to 450 |
| 2007 | 564 | 237 to 344 |
| 2008 | 807 | 339 to 492 |
| 2009 | 575 | 242 to 351 |
| 2010 | 550 | 231 to 336 |
| 2011 | 451 | 189 to 275 |
| 2012 | 555 | 233 to 339 |
| 2013 | 543 | 228 to 331 |
| 2014 | 493 | 207 to 301 |
| 2015 | 721 | 303 to 440 |
| 2016 | 734 | 308 to 448 |
– Statistics come from data on Iditarod website
Kennel cough is highly contagious:
“Kennel cough can be caused by a combination of viruses and bacteria. It is very contagious and your dog can become infected if it comes into contact with an infected dog.”
– American Veterinary Medical Association, website article, March 18, 2011
Veterinarians don’t pull dogs with kennel cough from Iditarod:
“For now, his [Lance Mackey] dogs have what he believes are the early symptoms of kennel cough. A wheel dog named Pat “hasn’t eaten probably a pound of food since the starting line,” he said.
At about 8:30 p.m., hours before Mackey was scheduled to leave, he stood in the dark as a vet checked one of his leaders, Rev. The dog made a hacking sound.”
– Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, March 9, 2011, Takotna checkpoint
Kyle Hopkins: “So you have a little bit of illness also on your team?”
Sebastian Schnuelle: “Oh yah, for sure I had that stupid kennel cough like big time. It started like two days before the race.”
Kyle Hopkins: “Do you think they got it on the Quest?”
Sebastian Schnuelle: “Oh yeah for sure, Ken [Anderson] had it, Hans [Gatt] had it. So I guess we three kind of stuck together there. So I guess we all got it.”
– iditablog, Anchorage Daily News, March 9, 2011, Takotna checkpoint – Kyle Hopkins is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. – The 2011 Iditarod started on March 5.
“As the race got underway, [Hans] Gatt said about half of his team was battling kennel cough.”
– Jill Burke, Alaska Dispatch, March 9, 2011
“Disappointment in the Iditarod. After contacting Kennel Cough before the race I had hopes the team would recover in time. Unfortunately only some of them did. By McGrath I was down to 9 dogs from the 16 that started, due to a combination of illness & injury. The remaining dogs were still showing strong symptoms of the cough, and with only one leader remaining I decided it was in the best interest of the dogs to end the race at this point.”
– Iditarod musher Gerry Willomitzer, www.gerrywillomitzer.com, March, 2011
“The run from TAKOTNA to OPHIR is short, but hilly. I gauge my team by the time interval we take to cover this distance. A good time is 2 and a half hours. I always think back to my first Iditarod. My entire dog team had kennel cough and were moving slowly right here.”
– Aliy Zirkle, SP Kennel Dog Log, Iditarod Trail Notes, 2010 – According to the Iditarod’s website, Aliy Zirkle’s first Iditarod was in 2001.
“Jamie [Nelson] said her team had come down with what the vets thought was kennel cough.”
– Iditarod musher Karen Ramstead, North Wapiti Iditarod 2000 Journal – Finger Lake to Rainy Pass, northwapiti.com, 2000
“Some of his [Lance Mackey] dogs were coughing and one was in heat.”
– Associated Press, March 12, 2008
“Kate was also coming down with kennel cough which was going around the other teams too. My team had managed to not get it before the race but once we got around the other dog teams it was hard not to get.”
– Jessie Royer, Jessie’s Sled Dog Page, Iditarod 2004 – Royer and her team were near the Finger Lake checkpoint which is 194 miles from Anchorage.
– Veterinarians put sick dogs on cephalosporin (an antibiotic) and let them keep racing:
Lance Mackey: “I’m going to take them to Ophir and see what happens.”
Veterinarian: “I would say at this point since you haven’t had them on cephalo[sporins], give them at least 24 hours…”
– iditablog, Anchorage Daily News March 9, 2011, Takotna checkpoint
“‘(Pebbles) started coughing in McGrath. We put her on drugs right away, but it’s getting down into her lungs,’ [Judy] Currier said.”
– iditablog, Anchorage Daily News, March 12, 2011, Anvik checkpoint – According to the Iditarod’s website, there are 223 miles between the McGrath and Anvik checkpoints.
– Dogs taking antibiotics can give other dogs kennel cough:
“However, these (antibiotic tablets) will not stop the coughing more quickly nor will they make it safe for your dog to mix with other dogs.”
– Riverside Animal Hospital, Green Bay, Wisconsin, website article, March 19, 2011
– Cephalosporin has its own set of problems:
“Allergic reactions such as itching, rash and difficulty breathing may occur. Side effects in dogs may also include drooling, rapid breathing and excitability.”
– AnimalShelter.org website article, March 19, 2011
– Dogs with kennel cough shouldn’t be stressed with exercise:
“Dogs who are recovering from kennel cough should not be stressed with exercise or excitement for at least a week.”
– Dr. Melinda Striyle and Dr. Tiffany Schmidt, 43rd Ave. Animal Hospital, Glendale, AZ, website article, March 19, 2011.
“Affected individuals should be allowed to rest.”
– Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM, drbarchas.com, March 19, 2011
“Restriction of exercise will help decrease the irritaton of the airways.”
– Dr. Tom Liebl and Dr. Robin Michael, Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital, Lawrence Kansas, website article, March 19, 2011
“If your dog has kennel cough you should keep it in a warm environment (where possible) and try not to exercise it too much.”
– Riverside Animal Hospital, Green Bay, Wisconsin, website article, March 19, 2011
Dogs with kennel cough should be kept warm:
“To help prevent the development of pneumonia, dogs with kennel cough should be rested and kept in a relatively warm environment.”
– City of Springdale Animal Services, website article, March 2011
“Dogs should be kept in a dry, warm, draft-free environment. Exercise should be avoided until the condition subsides.”
– Glendale Animal Hospital, Glendale, AZ, website article, March 2011
“The BEST thing to do for a dog with kennel cough is provide them with a warm, stress-free home. In this environment most dogs will recover within a few weeks.”
– UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, website article, March, 2011
For more information about Iditarod dogs having kennel cough, click: kennel cough.
Stomach ulcers are common:
“Most common injuries you see are the ones Dr. Stuart Nelson has described in his notes/emails/handbook [orthopedic injuries, pneumonia (exposure vs. aspiration), gastric ulceration.]
– Dr. Stuart Nelson is the Iditarod’s chief veterinarian. – Dropped Dog Manual, Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc., 2014
“These animals are prone to gastric ulceration….”
– Dropped Dog Manual, Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc., 2014
“This year, the most common thing I [veterinarian Emi Berger] saw was pneumonia and stomach ulcers.”
– Randi Weiner, The Journal News, March 31, 2011
Difficult to prevent Iditarod dogs from getting stomach ulcers:
“Under actual racing conditions, famotidine was not sufficiently effective in preventing severe EIGD [exercise-induced gastric disease]. A further study was then conducted, which compared the efficacy high-dose famotidine (40 mg PO BID/~25 kg dog) with omeprazole (20 mg PO SID/~25 kg dog) in preventing EIGD under racing conditions. This study showed that, with carefully timed administration, near the conclusion of a long exercise bout during which minimal snacking has occurred, omeprazole is more effective in reducing the number and severity of gastric lesions in racing sled dogs than famotidine. If an additional 30 min is allowed to pass prior to feeding the dog, efficacy can approach 100% in preventing clinically significant lesions during even the most strenuous exercise events.”
– Michael S. Davis and Katherine K. Williamson, “Gastritis and Gastric Ulcers in Working Dogs,” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2016; 3: 30 [
Serious stomach ulcers from racing as little as 100 miles:
“I reviewed a recent study about gastrointestinal damage resulting from training and racing sled dogs which appeared in a well-respected veterinary journal. Two of the more interesting conclusions presented were:
Training alone, without the additional stress of racing, results in significant, measurable gastrointestinal damage.
Serious stomach ulcers and other significant, measurable gastrointestinal damage results from racing as little as 100 miles.”
– Dr. Paula Kislak, DVM, President, Association of Veterinarians for Animals Rights – Email to the Sled Dog Action Coalition on December 17, 2006
Stories of dogs with stomach ulcers:
“But the dog [Mark] was in bad shape. He was dehydrated and hypothermic. His gums were white, indicating anemia and possible shock, [Lannie] Hamilton said.”
“A few minutes after the vets administered the IV, Mark vomited three liters of blood. Hamilton said that was an indication the dog likely had a bleeding stomach ulcer.”
– Lannie Hamilton is a veterinarian in Wasilla, AK – Mark is one of DeeDee Jonrowe’s dogs – Paula Dobbyn, Anchorage Daily News, March 13, 2002
“I had a dog that was just doing this horrible, projectile vomiting. It turned out it was an ulcer.”
– Diana Dronenburg Moroney, Iditarod musher – Freedman, Lew. More Iditarod Classics, Kenmore: Epicenter Press, 2004
Jonrowe’s dog Mark dies from surgery to repair his ulcer:
“The Iditarod Trail Committee was notified today by Musher Dee Dee Jonrowe that her lead dog Mark died during surgery to repair a stomach ulcer.”
– Iditarod Race Advisory, Iditarod website, March 15, 2002
– Dan, a 3 year old dog dies; ulcers are found in his stomach:
“Race officials said preliminary findings of a necropsy performed on the 3-year-old male named Dan showed fluid in the lungs.”
– Associated Press, March 12, 2001
“Preliminary aspects of the necropsy have been completed on Dan…”
“The dog’s death was determined to have been caused by pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. The only other significant abnormalities observed included a decrease in esophageal and gastric (stomach) muscle tone combined with gastric ulcerations.”
– Iditarod website, March 10, 2001
Backen’s dog dies from blood loss associated with ulcers:
Preliminary findings of a necropsy indicate the 7-year-old male [Takk] died of blood loss associated with gastric ulcers, according to race officials.
– Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, March 16, 2004
Dr Jim Lanier’s dog Cupid dies from ulcers:
“The gross necropsy performed on Cupid, a 4 year old female from the team of Jim Lanier’s that died on March 12 has been completed. The cause of death appears likely to be the result of regurgitation and aspiration, secondary to the presence of gastric ulcers.”
– Iditarod Advisory Update, Iditarod website, March 13, 2006
Ken Anderson’s dog has a bleeding ulcer:
“It was pretty scary. He had a bleeding ulcer. I’ve never seen that before. I stopped and he vomited a big pool of blood.”
– Ken Anderson talking about his sick dog – Interview with Gabriel Spitzer, Alaska Public Radio Network, website, March 9, 2006
Karen Ramstead’s dog Snickers died from acute hemorrhage due to a gastric ulcer:
“A gross necropsy was performed on Snickers, a six and a half year old female in the team of Karen Ramstead. Preliminary indications showed that Snickers expired as a result of and acute hemorrhage due to a gastric ulcer.”
– Iditarod Advisory, Iditarod website, March 14, 2006
Other dogs who died from having ulcers
Bruce Linton’s dog has black and tarry stools – a sign of an ulcer
“I rested there about five hours and was about to leave when I noticed a stool that was black and tarry next to one of my lead dogs Possum.”
– Bruce Linton, Iditarod Journals, 2007
High incidence of ulcers in Iditarod dogs:
“A pilot study of dogs that were either dropped from the 2000 Iditarod Sled Dog Race because of illness or that finished the race indicated that, approximately 5 days after competing, 10 of 28 dogs (35%) had endoscopic evidence of gastric ulceration, erosion, or hemorrhage. The next year, an endoscopic study of 73 dogs participating in the 2001 Iditarod race was performed in order to evaluate a larger population of dogs. Data from 70 of these dogs could be used; 34 (48.5%) had ulceration, erosion, gastric hemorrhage, or some combination of these findings. When this group of 70 dogs was compared retrospectively to a control group of 87 dogs presented to the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the Iditarod sled dogs had a significantly higher prevalence (P = .049) of gastric lesions.”
– Davis MS, Willard MD, Nelson SL, Mandsager RE, McKiernan BS, Mansell JK, Lehenbauer TW, “Prevalence of gastric lesions in racing Alaskan sled dogs.” Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2003 May-Jun;17(3):311-4, article abstract on National Library of Medicine website – Erosion is “an eating away, destruction of the surface of a tissue, material or structure.” – On-line Medical dictionary – “P” means P-value, which is “the probability (ranging from zero to one) that the results observed in a study (or results more extreme) could have occurred by chance. Convention is that we accept a p value of 0.05 or below as being statistically significant.” – Bandolier, a journal about evidence-based healthcare, written by Oxford scientists, website article
– High incidence of ulcers in Iditarod dogs caused by NSAIDs:
Many Iditarod dogs have gastric ulcers and some have died from this condition. Ulcers predispose the dogs to vomiting. Normally, the trachea closes the airway so that foreign material does not enter the lungs. But because these dogs run at such high speeds for such a long period of time, they cannot stop gasping for air despite the vomiting. Consequently, dogs inhale the vomit into their lungs which causes suffocation and death.
According to Michael Matz, a highly regarded expert in gastrointestinal disorders in small animals, the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is the most common cause of gastrointestinal ulceration in small animals (Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy XII- Small Animal Practice). Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen are just some of the NSAIDs that cause ulcers. These drugs reduce swelling, inflammation, relieve pain and fever, which allows the dogs to run farther and faster. Unfortunately, some dogs pay with their lives for the use of these drugs.
– High incidence of ulcers in Iditarod dogs caused by stress:
Andrea Floyd-Wilson: “What are they thinking is the cause that these dogs are getting, and it really seems like a very high number of them do get ulcers?”
Dr. Paula Kislak: “That’s correct. And it’s almost universally known to be as a result of the amount of stress that they endure and the medication they’re given. Just like people under extreme stress develop ulcers. This is the exact same etiology or cause in these dogs as well.”
– On February 23, 2003, Andrea Floyd-Wilson, the host of All About Animals Radio Show, interviewed Margery Glickman, Director of the Sled Dog Action Coalition, and Paula Kislak, DVM, President of the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights.
– Sustained strenuous exercise associated with 61 percent ulcer rate postrace compared to zero percent prerace:
“Sustained strenuous exercise was associated with an increased frequency of gastric erosions or ulcerations seen endoscopically (0% prerace versus 61% postrace). A significant postrace increase occurred in the median lactulose to rhamnose ratio in both serum and urine (0.11 versus 0.165, P = .0363; 0.11 versus 0.165, P = .0090, respectively). No significant differences were found in median serum or urinary sucrose concentrations when pre- and postrace values were compared. No correlation was found between visible gastric lesions and the concentration of sucrose in serum or urine samples obtained 4-5 hours after administration of the sugar solutions. We conclude that sustained strenuous exercise is associated with increased intestinal permeability, but the sucrose permeability test as we performed it did not correlate with visible gastric lesions.”
– Davis MS, Willard MD, Williamson KK, Steiner JM, Williams DA. “Sustained strenuous exercise increases intestinal permeability in racing Alaskan sled dogs.” Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2005 Jan-Feb;19(1):34-9, article abstract on National Library of Medicine website [
Dogs have extreme loss of weight during 1000-mile endurance race:
A study of dogs in a 1,000-mile endurance race found that these dogs suffered from extreme weight loss. “The precipitous weight loss observed, which is also observed in human athletes to a lesser degree shows severe negative energy balance in these endurance dogs. Body condition scoring suggests a 7–10% decrease in weight with each one point drop in BCS; therefore the dogs in our study lost a mean 14–20% of their individual body weight during the course of the race.”
– Matthew W. Brunke, Christopher W. Frye, Corri B. Levine, Cristina Hansen, and Joseph J. Wakshlag. Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Selected Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein Concentrations during an Ultramarathon Sled Dog Race. Scientific World Journal. 2016: 5686372.
“The following list demonstrates the top five reasons for dropping dogs during a long distance race:
Fatigue Shoulder injuries Carpal injuries Foot lesions Diarrhea”
– Dropped Dog Manual, Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc., 2014
“I have no argument that it is not easy for a dog to get up and go again and again after a short rest. No doubt, they would rather be sleeping.”
– John Schandelmeier, Alaska Dispatch News, March 19, 2015 – John Schandelmeier is a two-time winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race
“…Highway and Nervous had worked too hard during the first two days and exhausted their abilities to contribute to the team’s efforts.”
– Buser, Martin. Dog Man, Durango: Raven’s Eye Press, 2015
“‘I fell asleep for a while. They fell asleep for a little while. You’re not supposed to do that while you’re mushing,’ the musher said.”
– The musher is Aliy Zirkle. – Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News, March 11, 2012
“The dogs lean against each other while they’re running. Pretty soon a couple of them will fall asleep and stumble. That’ll wake them up and they’ll run some more.”
– Dean Osmar is talking about his dogs sleeping while they run. – Susan Reed, People Magazine, April 16, 1984
“Jim [Lanier] says that his dogs were getting exhausted trying to find a trail, wallowing through deep snow and struggling through drifts.”
– Karin Hendrickson, Iditarod blog, 2009
“He [Warner Vent] was sighted about 18 miles from Koyuk and his dogs were ‘just walking.’ The people in Shaktoolik who saw his team earlier in the morning said the dogs looked ‘awfully tired’”
– Ralph Lee, Anchorage Daily News, March 21, 1973 as reported in Hegener’s book. – Hegener, Helen. The First Iditarod – Mushers’ Tales From the 1973 Race. Wasilla: Northern Light Media, 2015
“They [Pat Moon and Josh Cadzow] had been forced to drop dogs due to fatigue or illness were down to small teams.”
– Jill Burke, Alaska Dispatch, March 11, 2012
“Tok is tired and I can tell that he is no longer enthused.”
– Jan Steves, Blog Living My Dream – Part Three, March 19, 2012- According to Jan Steves’ “Meet the Team” web page, Tok is 10-years-old.
“On the stand [in Nome] after her welcome she [Susan Butcher] said, ‘It’s good to be here. My dogs are pretty tired.”
– Jones, Tim. The Last Great Race: The Iditarod, Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1988
“As late as the Elim checkpoint on the coast, only about 130 miles from the finish, he still held out hope for that small trophy [a belt buckle]. El Toro was still pulling six teammates along the trail. El Toro, John [Stewart] confessed, was doing almost all of the work.
It was on Thursday, on the march up and over a 1,000-foot mountain mushers call “Little McKinley” to White Mountain on soft trail in the heat of the day Thursday, when El Toro finally wore out.”
– Every musher who finishes the Iditarod gets a belt buckle. – Craig Medred, Alaska Dispatch, March 20, 2010
“Former Iditarod musher Emmitt Peters, the last rookie to win The Last Great Race, says mushers and dogs feel tremendous fatigue at this stage of the race.”
– KTUU-TV, website, photo caption, Ruby checkpoint, March 12, 2010
“He’s feeling good, he [Jeff King] said moments before stepping on the runners of his sled, but his dogs are tired.”
– Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily N