Glacier, I'm glad you chimed in. I was hoping you would. That is good information. I know that just learning more about the race from a member who used to post here, Bea ("Iditarod Fan"), helped me to understand this sport much better. In fact, just recently, I sent her a link to one of your threads, knowing that she would be interested. Bea lives in Spokane, WA and loves to follow the Iditarod.