The Junior Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Winter sports are held even past the Spring Equinox and in the Alaskan March of each year, the Iditarod runs in order to commemorate a long-ago dogsled team. Those working dogs delivered vitally needed anti-toxin to an isolated place at the end of what is now the Iditarod Trail. Without that medicine, hundreds of people might have died in the Winter 1925 diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska.

Much controversy surround the teams of working dogs that delivered the anti-toxin and those that pull mushers in the Last Great Race today. One point of contention is which dog leader should be credited with saving Nome; however, credit is shared by the more well known Balto, who led the way in town, and the dog Togo, who ran the great length of one-third of the journey. In Nome, visitors can see a statue of Balto, but the entire figure of Togo, mounted and displayed int he Iditarod HQ.

A lesser known event among the Iditarod venues is the Junior Iditarod, in which young people that are raising their own sled dogs with supervision of parents and community train and run a shorter version of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The junior division is held in the weeks previous to the Last Great Race and the young winner is granted an honorary start with the full Iditarod, alongside the annual Honorary Musher - in 2010, renowned Alaskan aviation pioneer Orin Seybert. The Junior Winner wears the eye-catching #1 Bib and honored after the adult Iditarod at the Iditarod Finisher’s Banquet held in Nome. It’s quite an accomplishment, on par with Olympic Gold.

Orin Seybert unerstands youthful ambition like that of the Junior Iditarod mushers. He was only 19 years old in 1955 when he founded Peninsula Airways in Alaska at Pilot Point. He was a pilot himself and owned a 1946 two-seater Taylorcraft. One year later, he obtained a Piper Tri-Pacer four-seater and chose the name Peninsula Airways, which became PenAirin 1991. By 2010 PenAir had become Alaska's second largest commuter airline with 40 planes and service to 36 communities in SW Alaska. It was the second airline in Alaska to receive the Medallion Shield Award.

The 2010 160-mile race, The Jr. Iditarod of 13 mushers and their dog teams was held at 10:00 AM Alaskan Time (1:00 PM EST) on February 27, 2010 and was available live at Iditarod http://idtarod.com.

Archive video may be seen online at the Iditarod site and in the charvies of the Junjior Iditaord Site listed below. A new feature for 2010 was the GPS Tracker device carried by the young mushers to enable the Iditarod web site to track them on their runs and flash the information onto the webpage. Technology is adding to the safety and excitement of the sport without taking away from tradition.

On the other hand, Iditarod adult mushers such as the legally blind Rachael Scdoris (musher 2005 – date) might prefer to race as always, with a colleague mushing ahead of her to radio pertinent course information back to her. She scratched from her first attempt in the Iditarod, but has finished the race in future years, providing excellent car to her dogs as well. Sledding blind through wilderness blizzards, she is truly remarkable.

The youth that train for the Junior Iditarod are just as formidable and remarkable in their talents and determination. They learn early on to care well for their dog teams, their equipment, and themselves. If there is ever a disaster that swallows them in life, they will be well prepared not only to cope with it and its aftermath, but also to help others. This is life training not available to everyone.

The youth mushers in 2010 mushed to Yentna Station, Alaska, within the 160 miles of looping trail of their junior race. There, they cared for their dogs and themselves in an overnight stay Saturday, February 27.

On Sunday, the last day of the month, they arose, readied their teams, and left in the order they arrived to proceed along the trail to Willow Lake.

The history of the junior division of the sled dog race is longer than many people imagine. In 1975, seven young men and woman though or competitive mushing and researched the possibilities for a youth training program. Other s joined them and from 1975 – 1977, the youth experimented with mushing and camping trips in the wintry Alaskan landscape. An experienced adult musher, Joe Redington Sr., felt that they were on their way to a big accomplishment and became a mentor.

With hard work and help from parents and the community of adult mushers and local government and business, the opening of the first Jr. Iditarod Trail Race occurred for these dedicated young people in March, 1978. In 2010, that date is 32 years in the past. International entries began in 1992. today, youth as young as 14  can compete for scholarships and gain lifelong potential and skills in this program.

In 2010, both divisions of the Iditarod Trail Alaskan Sled Dog Race provided an encore and new excitement to carry on after the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.