A Farewell

Posted on August 6, 2006 by Gaius

Susan Butcher, 1954-2006.

The Glittering Eye has a nice tribute to one of the very few Iditarod racers I know by name. Before her first win in 1986, I don't recall hearing much about the race. After her first win, I remember my local newspaper in upstate New York running daily updates on the race. For those who may not know what the Iditarod is, this is the website for the most famous dog sled race on the world. 1,150+ solo miles by dog sled, the ultimate test of endurance.

Rest in peace.

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One Response to A Farewell

  1. crosspatch says:
    August 6, 2006 at 6:17 pm

    What a wonderful role model for girls and ambassador for her sport she has been! I had never heard of the race until she won. What is important to also remember is the community spirit from which the event was born. It is a celebration of a real race against time to save a town stricken with disease and how the people of the area pulled together to save them.

    The Iditarod was inspired by a monumental and historic event – a dog-sled relay of life-saving serum from Anchorage to Nome in 1925. That January, in the middle of a frigid winter, deadly diphtheria broke out in Nome, remotely located along the Bering Sea. Between the stricken town and the nearest serum in Anchorage was nearly 1,000 miles of Alaskan wilderness.

    The Alaska Railroad ferried the medicine 250 miles north to Nenana. From there, 20 volunteer dog-sled drivers relayed the serum non-stop the remaining 674 miles. When the first musher left Nenana, the temperature hovered at 50 below zero. According to legend, the serum was nearly lost when a huge gust of wind toppled the sled of the final musher. The musher frantically dug the serum out of the snow with his bare hands, righted his sled and continued on.

    Through the efforts of those heroic mushers, the serum arrived in Nome five days and seven hours after leaving Nenana. The town was saved.

    Today, Iditarod mushers brave much of the same wild Alaskan trail as those early heroes. Lives of Nome residents no longer hang in the balance, but the journey remains just as challenging. And challenges that require the most effort are also the most rewarding.

    A true example of our American spirit. Sleep well, champion!