Yukon, Hooooo!
This Sunday the last great race began in the Great White North. No, not the Kentucky Derby, not the Indy 500; take off you hosers, it is the Iditarod. Yes, the dog sled race that spans 1,151 miles across the frozen winter landscape of Alaska began Saturday in Anchorage.
The intrigue of the dog sled has captured the imagination of countless people with Jack London's Call of the Wild. London portrays the danger and adventure of mushing across the frozen tundra. Now archaic,this sport brings together man and beast in a fight of survival against nature. Not only are the competitors forced to survive the elements, they are also compelled to do the one thing all men must do on a cross-country trip, make good time.
This is now the 30th running of the race that commemorates the famous serum run of 1925. In that year a dangerous outbreak of diphtheria struck the children of Nome, Alaska. The antitoxin was taken by 20 different drivers via dog sled to save the sick children. In 1973, the very first Iditarod was held in honor of the life saving run. But this, the most basic of sports, the most masculine of sports, and in fact one of the most grueling sports, is still in the background of the sports world (Let's face it, Shaq is one tough "mo-fo," but he wouldn't be caught dead being pulled through the snow on a sled).
This sport where the sled drivers risk their lives gets very little coverage. Why?
Reason one: endorsement possibilities. Yes, many of the mushers are sponsored, but the bottom line is there is no real advantage for the possible sponsors of having their name bolt across the Alaskan wilderness. Let's face it. Grizzly Bears have no use for Yahoo.com.
Reason two: name one famous dog sled driver. Bet you can't. Hell, I couldn't until I went to the official Iditarod website. They are never on the Wheaties box, they never sign multi-million dollar contracts and you never see them biting their opponents in the leg prior to the race.
Reason three: it is hard to cover. I mean it is hard to get people to go and watch the race, excluding the beginning and end, and getting camera crews out there to follow the teams makes hard even harder.
Reason four: the race is only once a year. Any annual sporting event always gets less press than the sports that are slated for competition all year round.
All these factors come together to make this race obscure in mainstream sports coverage. We all need to look past these minor drawbacks and get to the heart of this sport. These sled drivers are not risking their lives and their dogs' lives for the small $550,000. They are out on the trail because they love to race. Loving one's sport is a trait not found very commonly in the modern pro athlete and it is for this reason alone the Idiraod is due much respect.
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