Iditarod: The common man s Super Bowl

March 01, 2008

A record field of 96 mushers took off on 4th Avenue Saturday. (KTUU-TV)

by Kevin Wells
Saturday, March 1, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- It's one of the landmark days on the Alaska sporting calendar: The ceremonial start of the Iditarod. A record field of 96 mushers took off on 4th Avenue Saturday.

The Iditarod represents the every man or woman who might not ever play in the Super Bowl, or drive in the Daytona 500. But you can participate in sled dog racing's premier event and nowadays, it seems like everybody wants to.

After 36 years, it's easy to forget that the Iditarod had humble beginnings.

Five-time champ Rick Swenson remembers.

"I came to Alaska hoping to someday run Iditarod," Swenson said. "Hoping there'd still be an Iditarod when I was ready."

"We sometimes wrote on the side of the truck with a magic marker, that was our sponsorship sign," said race veteran DeeDee Jonrowe

Okay, so maybe some things never change. But the Last Great Race itself sure has.

There are 96 mushers, nine more than any other year. $69,000 goes to the champion, but that's just to off-set expenses.

"Nobody's making money, even the winner," said musher Dick Gebhardt. "Ask Lance. Even winning Quest and Iditarod (in the) same year. But you'll lose less than if you go somewhere where there's no purse."

Jonrowe has been down this road 26 times, second only to Swenson.

"I no longer feel bulletproof," Jonrowe said.

If Jonrowe represents Iditarod royalty, then Nome's Melissa Owens is Snow White in training. Owens is the youngest woman to race the Iditarod, having turned 18 just two weeks ago.

"She stayed at our house when she came to Nome," Jonrowe said said. "We know each other's teams a little bit. Melissa was only as high as the backs of one of my dogs."

The new guard, and the establishment, champions, contenders and hopefuls are all on sled dog racing's red carpet. It's an experience you can't put a price tag on.

Six former champions are in this year's field include Swenson, Martin Buser, Jeff King, Mitch Seavey, 2007 winner Lance Mackey and Joe Runyan, the 1989 champ serving as the visual guide for legally blind musher Rachael Scdoris.

Kevin Wells will be live along the trail throughout the race on Channel 2 News

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