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Dogsled Racing
Dog Sled racing and Trail Sled racing are the same type of races. Here you will find information on dog drivers/mushers, types of dogs, and where and when, including the most famous of all sled dog races: the Iditarod.
600 Questions
How are starting positions for the race determined in the Iditarod?
They use the rankings from the races in the past for younger racers, as you get older they have a points system and this is used the same way, the lower the points the better and earlyer you race!
What types of obstacles do racers face in the iditarod race?
Not being attacked by grizzly bears, or trampled by a moose, or falling into a frozen lake, or falling off a cliff, or losing too many dogs, or not winning, or getting fatally injured or so on and so forth.
Where is dog sled racing in the states besides Alaska?
in NOME,ALASKA This is where they hold the IDITAROD!
How long is a dog sled race in miles?
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in Alaska, where mushers and teams of typically 16 dogs cover 1,161 miles (1,868 km) in one to fifteen days from Willow (near Anchorage) to Nome. The race begins on the first Saturday in March (the 2010 race began on March 6). The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams, evolving into the highly competitive race it is today. The current fastest winning time record was set in 2002 by Martin Buser with a time of 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds.[1]
Teams frequently race through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73.3 °C). The trail runs through the U.S. state of Alaska. A ceremonial start occurs in the city of Anchorage and is followed by the official restart in Willow, a city in the south central region of the state. The restart was originally in Wasilla, but because of too little snow, the restart was permanently moved to Willow in 2008.[2] The trail proceeds from Willow up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska Range into the sparsely populated interior, and then along the shore of the Bering Sea, finally reaching Nome in western Alaska. The teams cross a harsh landscape through tundra and spruce forests, over hills and mountain passes, and across rivers. While the start in Anchorage is in the middle of a large urban center, most of the route passes through widely separated towns and villages and small Athabaskan and Inupiat settlements. The Iditarod is regarded as a symbolic link to the early history of the state and is connected to many traditions commemorating the legacy of dog mushing. The trails alternate each year-every even year they take the north trail and odd years they take the south trail.
The race is the most popular sporting event in Alaska, and the top mushers and their teams of dogs are local celebrities; this popularity is credited with the resurgence of recreational mushing in the state since the 1970s. While the yearly field of more than fifty mushers and about a thousand dogs is still largely Alaskan, competitors from fourteen countries have completed the event including the Swiss Martin Buser, who became the first international winner in 1992.
The Iditarod received more attention outside of the state after the 1985 victory of Libby Riddles, a long shot who became the first woman to win the race. Susan Butcher became the second woman to win the race and went on to dominate for half a decade. Print and television journalists and crowds of spectators attend the ceremonial start at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and D Street in Anchorage and in smaller numbers at the checkpoints along the trail.
What are the mushing terms for sled dogs?
Verbal commands let the handler tell the dogs where to go. Unlike horses who draw vehicles, sled dogs have no reins. Without verbal commands, the dogs wouldn't know where to go and the team would just run around chasing rabbits and pulling the helpless handler with them.
"Hike" means go faster.
"Gee" means go right. "Gee Gee" means hard right.
"Haw" means go left. "Haw Haw" means hard left.
"On by" means pass the other team.
"Whoa" means slow down.
In the Iditarod how many dogs does a team have to have?
I think the number is typically 16 dogs.
Answer:
12 to 16 dogs can start the race with at least 6 on the towline when they finish.
How many dogs are you allowed to race in the Iditarod?
At the start of the Iditarod you may have a maximum of 16 dogs and a minimum of 12 dogs; minimum of 6 dogs are required to continue in the race and are mandatory as you cross the finish line. (iditarod.com)
Where does the begin and end of the iditarod?
it starts in florida.it ends in honduras
actually it starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome
In the Iditarod how far is it from White Mountain to Nome?
The mountain range that runs through he famous Iditarod race is the Alaska Range.
What does a musher say to stop his team of dogs?
The musher will perform health checks on each dog at each rest stop - generally in the morning, at a lunch break (if taken) and at the end of the day. Each dog will be checked for overall attitude, movement and the paws and legs carefully checked for signs of abrasions, cuts, swelling or pain. The fit of the harnesses will also be checked daily before starting to ensure it is not causing pain or pressure points.
The musher will also provide food, water and appropriate shelter as needed during the race.
If a dog appears to be flagging or having difficulties, a responsible musher will pull out of the race to care for the dog. At the designated veterinary checkpoints along the way, the race veterinarian can also pull dogs out of the competition for health reasons.
What does a wheel dog do in Iditarod sled dog race?
In dog mushing the term "wheel dog" refers to the dog or pair of dogs harnessed closest to the sled. The wheel dog(s) take the greatest load in shifting the direction of a sled from one course to another. Typically, dogs used in this position are generally stronger than their team mates and are called upon to do the "heavy lifting" in difficult conditions. In a standard tandem style dog team, the dog at the front is the leader. The two dogs directly behind the leader are the swing dogs. The wheel dogs are the last dogs in the team. Any dogs harnessed between the wheel dogs and swing dogs are referred to as team dogs.
What is the fewest number of dogs you can run with on a dog sled race?
When running in the Iditarod race, there are a maximum of 16 dogs allowed on a team. When the racer crosses over the finish line, there must be at least a minimum of 6 dogs pulling the sled to win. They may begin with as few as 12 dogs.
Who is the only 5 time winner what years did he win in the Iditarod?
Rick Swenson [b. 1950] is the only five-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that's held in the United States of America across the state of Alaska. Because of that achievement, he's called the 'King of the Iditarod'. He finished first in the 1,049-mile race in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1991.
Well you have to send food for your dogs and if you take meds. you have to ship those,but I think there might be something else.
What does the word Iditarod mean what language is it?
Iditarod comes. From the athabascan word haiditarod meaning "far distant place".
What items do mushers have to carry in the race?
a proper cold weather sleeping bag weighing a minimum of 5 lbs., an axe, eight booties for each dog in the sled or in use, one operational cooker and pot capable of boiling at least 3 gallons of water.
in a town it was invented in Toronto then after a few years in walmart it came
Where in anchorage does the Iditarod race start?
It starts in Anchorage, Alaska and ends in Nome, Alaska. The route varies but it is journey of approximately 1,000 miles
What do you call the winner of the Iditarod race?
An Iditarod racer is called a musher. A musher is the proper name of a dog sled driver, no matter if the driver is a professional dog sled racer or an amateur. Dog sled was the fastest method of overland travel for the native tribes in the Arctic regions of Russia, Canada and America. Mushers control their dogs by means of vocal commands. One of the commands used to get the dogs running is the word, "mush," although that command has fallen out of favor in recent years.
