Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race

The annual race stretches from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Begun in 1973, the course follows an old frozen river route and is named after a deserted mining town along the way. In even-numbered years, the trail follows the 1,151-mile long Northern Route, while in odd-numbered years, it takes the slightly different 1,161 Southern Route. The Iditarod also commemorates a famous midwinter emergency to get medical supplies to Nome during a 1925 diphtheria epidemic. Men and women mushers compete together. In 2006, Jeff King of Denali Park, Alaska, won his fourth Iditarod and the prizes of $69,000 and a new truck. At 50, King is the oldest person to win the race.