The Iditarod's Route

The Iditarod is one of the coolest sporting events and is the best event for sled dog racing. Formed to help remember the 1925 serum run to Nome and other memorable dog sledding organizations in 1973, the competition is having it's 40th race this year, starting tomorrow. Last year, John Baker won his 1st Iditarod with a record time of 8 days, 18 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds, stopping Lance Mackey's 4 race winning streak. 

The Iditarod alternates the route for each year

Every year, the Iditarod alternates courses. For even years, they use a northern route and for odd years, a southern route is in place. The only difference in the routes is that the route from Ophir to Kaltag is different. For southern route, the checkpoints of Iditarod, Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling, and Eagle Island. The northern route incorporates Cripple, Ruby, Galena, and Nulato. The northern route is 975 miles. Below are reports on the 4 checkpoints that complete the even year's trail.




Cripple


Cripple is 73 miles from the previous checkpoint, Ophir, the longest distance between checkpoints on the trail. Cripple has a population of 0. It is the official midway point of the northern route, 495 miles from Anchorage and 480 from Nome. The first person get a halfway trophy and $3,000 in gold nuggets. 

Ruby, Alaska in 1917
http://rubyalaska.info/assets/Images/Ruby/ruby1917.jpg

Ruby


Ruby, once called the "Gem of the Yukon", is the first checkpoint on the Yukon River and has a population of 187. Ruby once rivaled Fairbanks as the center of civilization in Mid Alaska. The Millennium Alaskan Hotel Anchorage awards the 1st person to Ruby a gourmet dinner and a cash prize. 




Galena


Galenta, also on the Yukon River, has the biggest population of the checkpoint only during northern routes with 527. The town is named after the lead sulfate ore found in the area whose chemical name is Galenta. The route from Ruby is all near the Yukon River. 


Nulato


Nulato is the last checkpoint of the 4 that is only part of the route during even years.  It has a population of 359 and of the 4 checkpoint it is the oldest town, founded in 1838. The route from Galena and the route to Katleg from Nulato are on the Yukon River. 


This year's Iditarod looks to be a good one. There are former winners of the event participating, including Baker, Mackey, Jeff King, and more. There are many newcomers to the event, too. It looks to be one of the best ever.