On March 5, the annual Iditarod Race in Alaska will pit a team of dogs and their musher on a 1,000-mile race through some of nature’s cruelest conditions. MORECAST takes a look at some history behind the event, typical weather facing the competitors, and the forecast for the first day.
The Race
The Iditarod dog sledding race has roots back to the days of World War II. The mushers and dogs were used in transporting materials and supplies to remote villages throughout Alaska’s wilderness. In the 1960s, the Wasilla-Knik Centennial Committee formed to celebrate the historical milestones of Alaska. In 1967, the chairman of the committee Dorothy Page came up with the idea of a dog sledding race along the Iditarod trail that celebrates the history and preservation of the trail. With additional help from Mr. and Mrs. Redington, a new Iditarod race was started in 1973. This race took place between Knik and Nome. The first winner of the race was Dick Wilmarth, who took 3 months to complete it.
The emphasis of the race is to promote dog sledding culture and to promote the Alaskan husky breed. The current course highlights the way sled dogs impacted the growth and development of early settlements in Alaska, with the race consisting of checkpoints, similar to how mushers traveled in the past.
The winter setting of the race often plays a crucial role in competitors’ success, and the stories of dog teams battling some of the world’s worst weather add to the romance of the race. The conditions in the Anchorage area are tame compared to what awaits teams in the interior of America’s biggest state. The city is somewhat sheltered, and experiences moderation from the ocean. In the Alaskan interior, however, blizzard conditions are common. Gale force winds can combine with temperatures well below zero, causing wind-chill to drop as low as 100 degrees below zero. The exposed and remote nature for most of the trail means no shelter from the extreme weather, creating one of the world’s most gruelling sporting challenges.
The thousand mile route across the Alaskan interior. (http://iditarod.com)
Equipment
Besides the sled, the Musher is also responsible for sled bags. Sled bags consist of extra food, clothing, booties, vet book, and extra supplies. The Musher sends the bags ahead of time to checkpoints and eventually picks them up during the race. For the dogs, it is important for the Musher to pack a pot that holds up to 3 gallons of water and food for the dogs. Other required gear includes the carrying of cable tie, ax, cold weather sleeping bags, eight pairs of booties for the dogs, snowshoes, and promotional material for the Iditarod trail committee. An additional sled or two is available for the musher is the primary sled breaks.
On March 5, the annual Iditarod Race in Alaska will pit a team of dogs and their musher on a 1,000-mile race through some of nature’s cruelest conditions. Mr. Morecast takes a look at some history behind the event, typical weather facing the competitors, and the forecast for the first day.
Weather Outlook
Due to warm weather and lack of snow across Anchorage so far this year, race officials have shipped in snow from as far as Fairbanks by train. This snow will be placed at the starting line for the ceremonial festivities. Here is the weather forecast for the start of the great race:
As for the forecast Saturday in Anchorage, the weather for the start of the race will be fairly seasonable, with temperatures a few degrees below freezing throughout the morning, rising to the mid 30s in the afternoon. Winds will be light out of the north. Scattered snow showers around the Anchorage area may bring a nice wintry touch to the pre-race photos, but no impactful weather is expected.
Into the first few days of the race, the overall weather situation looks mundane, with no large scale weather systems appearing likely. Some isolated pieces of energy spinning up from the Gulf of Alaska may, however, produce some periods of unsettled weather along portions of the route. Given the isolated and exposed, high altitude terrain along the race, the effects of any inclement weather can be far more potent than in sheltered, low altitude locations. Overall though, it looks like the competitors will have a fairly comfortable few days to start their challenge.
