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“ThenLast Great Race”
“ThenLast Great Race”n
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nReady,nget set, go!
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nYesterday,non 4th Avenue and D Street in Anchorage, Alaska, was thenOfficial Start of the 2012 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. But that wasnjust a ceremony. The real race starts today at 2 p.m. (Alaskantime) in Willow, about 40 miles away from Anchorage.
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Cannyou imagine being there? Each musher and his or her team of 12 to 16ndogs must cross more than 1,000 miles in the course of the race. Itntakes days—the fastest anyone has ever done this during the race isn8 days and 19 hours, and for many mushers it takes 12 to 15 days—sonit is a huge endurance test. The dog sled teams often face blizzards,nwhiteout conditions, and gale-force winds as they travel on a trailnthat runs up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska (mountain) Range down tonthe Bering Sea, across the tundra and through the spruce forests,neven crossing rivers!
Cannyou imagine being there? Each musher and his or her team of 12 to 16ndogs must cross more than 1,000 miles in the course of the race. Itntakes days—the fastest anyone has ever done this during the race isn8 days and 19 hours, and for many mushers it takes 12 to 15 days—sonit is a huge endurance test. The dog sled teams often face blizzards,nwhiteout conditions, and gale-force winds as they travel on a trailnthat runs up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska (mountain) Range down tonthe Bering Sea, across the tundra and through the spruce forests,neven crossing rivers!n
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nAnGolden Harness is awarded to a worthy dog—and not necessarily thenlead dog of the winning team. (In 2008, for example, the mushersnvoted to award the coveted Golden Harness to Babe, who was the leadndog of the third-place team. She was 11 years old, competing in hernninth Iditarod.) Cash prizes are awarded to some of the topnfinishers, and a red lantern is awarded to the last-place finisher,nin honor of his or her perseverance. The winner gets the most money,nof course, and a brand new pickup truck. n
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nChecknout the official website for Musher Tracking, Insider Videos, andnexclusive race coverage.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nInventor Garrett Morgan’s birthday
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nAnniversary of the discovery of the Orion Nebula
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