In 1925 in Nome, Alaska there was a diptheria epidemic. They could not fly the serum in by plane because of a blizzard & the Bering Sea was frozen. The Alaska Railroad rushed the serum to Nenana. From there Native Alaskans with their dogs, huskies, malamutes, mutt crosses from the lower 48, & wolves & wolve crosses, you name it, there were 20 some mushers in this RELAY for life,they raced 700 miles & it took approximately 6 days to get to Nome with the serum. They went over a mail & supply trail in a -60 degree blizzard with high winds. Dogs were used to hail gold out of Nome, along with mail etc. Dogs were a life line to the survival of humans in this harsh environment. They were a major part of the Alaskan economy & life of its people.
Today the Iditrod starts in Anchorage & there are two routes the northern & southern. They average from 1,112 miles to 1,161 miles. They start with an average of 16 in a team.