An excerpt from Slim Randles' website:
He has been a hunting guide in New Mexico and Alaska, made the first solo dogsled trip across Alaska's Arctic Slope, Paddled a canoe down the Yukon River, built a log cabin 12 miles to the nearest road, and drove a dog team in the first Iditarod Race. He has also packed mules and roped calves in a rodeo. And he has written about it in newspaper stories, magazine articles, and books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Herbie Nayokpuk
Obituary of Herbie Nayokpuk, by ADN's Craig Medred, at Sled Dog Central. Full story at the Anchorage Daily News.
Bobby Vent
Paragraph mentioning Bobby Vent, from an article at Ultimate Iditarod by Bill Gallea, interviewing Dan Seavey:
Back in 1973, there was no mandatory 24-hour break, and therefore no way to make up the time difference which resulted from a staggered start on the first day. This fact, plus a miscalculation, led to Dan taking third place in that year's race instead of second. He though he had started after Bobby Vent, who was mushing just ahead of him on the way into Nome. If that had been correct, he would only have had to complete the race within two minutes of Vent. That would have made his total time faster, and he would have finished in second place. But he had, in fact, started a few places in front of Bobby. He therefore would have had to finish ahead of him by at least whatever time difference occurred at the start.
Back in 1973, there was no mandatory 24-hour break, and therefore no way to make up the time difference which resulted from a staggered start on the first day. This fact, plus a miscalculation, led to Dan taking third place in that year's race instead of second. He though he had started after Bobby Vent, who was mushing just ahead of him on the way into Nome. If that had been correct, he would only have had to complete the race within two minutes of Vent. That would have made his total time faster, and he would have finished in second place. But he had, in fact, started a few places in front of Bobby. He therefore would have had to finish ahead of him by at least whatever time difference occurred at the start.
Dan Seavey
Great article by Bill Gallea for the Ultimate Iditarod site, titled "Remembering the First Iditarod":
The first race began at what is now the Tozier Track in Anchorage, where a system of trails exclusively for dog mushing is maintained. There was no trucking of dogs around the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. The teams ran continuously to Nome, going over bridges as necessary.
The mushers wore no headlamps. But yet they did run at night, mushing by the moonlight. There was a tendency to run more during the day than at night, but not completely. The only light Dan Seavey carried in the '73 Race was a C-cell flashlight in his pocket!
Great article, lots of good information on the first race!
The first race began at what is now the Tozier Track in Anchorage, where a system of trails exclusively for dog mushing is maintained. There was no trucking of dogs around the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. The teams ran continuously to Nome, going over bridges as necessary.
The mushers wore no headlamps. But yet they did run at night, mushing by the moonlight. There was a tendency to run more during the day than at night, but not completely. The only light Dan Seavey carried in the '73 Race was a C-cell flashlight in his pocket!
Great article, lots of good information on the first race!
Dan Seavey
A bit of family history from the Seavey's Ididaride website:
Dan and Shirley Seavey moved to Seward, Alaska, from central Minnesota in 1963. After surviving the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, Dan began to raise and train sled dogs.
In 1973, Dan Seavey, along with a number of fellow dog mushers, helped Joe Redington, Sr. found the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,150-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. Dan competed in the first and second Iditarod races placing third and fifth respectively. The three weeks spent on the trail to complete those first Iditarod races were huge tests of endurance and fortitude for both the mushers and the dogs.
Dan and Shirley Seavey moved to Seward, Alaska, from central Minnesota in 1963. After surviving the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, Dan began to raise and train sled dogs.
In 1973, Dan Seavey, along with a number of fellow dog mushers, helped Joe Redington, Sr. found the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a 1,150-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. Dan competed in the first and second Iditarod races placing third and fifth respectively. The three weeks spent on the trail to complete those first Iditarod races were huge tests of endurance and fortitude for both the mushers and the dogs.
Bud Smyth
In the middle of a lengthy piece by Joe Runyon for Cabela's coverage of the 2003 race is this interesting bit about Bud Smyth:
Bud Smyth is a true living historical figure. In addition to being a legitimate Iditarod front-runner, in the early days of Iditarod, Ramey Smyth's dad was a profound thinker. I love this guy.
In the early days of Iditarod the rules did not specify a dog limit. In fact, it wasn't until Bud Smyth appeared at the start line in 1978 with 35 dogs, that the rule makers made the move to limit team numbers to 20 dogs. Later, the number was notched down to 16 in 1994 (correct me if I'm wrong.)
For the preceding year, Bud and George Attla, the Huslia Hustler, had been advising Iditarod officials that they were contemplating a huge team. Bud eventually pushed the envelope, and in one of the most spectacular strategy ploys in Iditarod history, arrived at the start line with 25 dogs in harness and 10 dogs housed in a kennel permanently installed on a large freight sled.
There's more to this story at Cabela's site. Well worth clicking over to read.
Bud Smyth is a true living historical figure. In addition to being a legitimate Iditarod front-runner, in the early days of Iditarod, Ramey Smyth's dad was a profound thinker. I love this guy.
In the early days of Iditarod the rules did not specify a dog limit. In fact, it wasn't until Bud Smyth appeared at the start line in 1978 with 35 dogs, that the rule makers made the move to limit team numbers to 20 dogs. Later, the number was notched down to 16 in 1994 (correct me if I'm wrong.)
For the preceding year, Bud and George Attla, the Huslia Hustler, had been advising Iditarod officials that they were contemplating a huge team. Bud eventually pushed the envelope, and in one of the most spectacular strategy ploys in Iditarod history, arrived at the start line with 25 dogs in harness and 10 dogs housed in a kennel permanently installed on a large freight sled.
There's more to this story at Cabela's site. Well worth clicking over to read.
Dick Mackey
Profile piece from the Anchorage Daily News when Dick Mackey was inducted into the Musher's Hall of Fame in 1997 (good photo). The article is primarily about his 1978 one-second win over Rick Swenson, but it also includes this great excerpt:
That incredible finish may have been the highlight of Mackey's career, but it's only part of his history with the Iditarod.
Mackey was one of the first mushers to sign up for the initial race, and in his first five races, he never finished out of the top 10, all the while performing his organizational duties.
He didn't abandon the race when he stopped running himself, serving as race committee president, race manager, trail manager, banquet emcee and start and finish announcer.
That incredible finish may have been the highlight of Mackey's career, but it's only part of his history with the Iditarod.
Mackey was one of the first mushers to sign up for the initial race, and in his first five races, he never finished out of the top 10, all the while performing his organizational duties.
He didn't abandon the race when he stopped running himself, serving as race committee president, race manager, trail manager, banquet emcee and start and finish announcer.
Joe Redington
Good profile article of Joe, with a great photo taken in 1997, when he was inducted into the Musher's Hall of Fame.
Excerpt:
By 1973, enough people had listened to make a race happen. Redington's dogs ran the race, but he didn't. During the leisurely 20 days it took the winner to reach Nome, Redington was in Anchorage, trying to raise the money to pay the prizes.
"When I guaranteed a purse of $50,000, we didn't have a dime," Redington said.
Excerpt:
By 1973, enough people had listened to make a race happen. Redington's dogs ran the race, but he didn't. During the leisurely 20 days it took the winner to reach Nome, Redington was in Anchorage, trying to raise the money to pay the prizes.
"When I guaranteed a purse of $50,000, we didn't have a dime," Redington said.
Herbie Nayokpuk
Anchorage Daily News article dated December 1, 2006:
"The Gathering Begins for Herbie Nayokpuk"
Good article by Craig Medred about the musher who came to be known as "The Shishmaref Cannonball."
"The Gathering Begins for Herbie Nayokpuk"
Good article by Craig Medred about the musher who came to be known as "The Shishmaref Cannonball."
Joe Redington
My mother gave me this large black and white print for my birthday this year. Across the bottom, in pencil, are written the following:
649/1049
"Father of the Iditarod"
K. Kristenson '92
I'd be interested in learning something about it.
37 Mushers
On that cold morning in March, 1973, thirty-seven mushers stood at the starting line in Anchorage, Alaska, looking down the trail toward Nome, over 1,000 miles away. This is the story of those men, their dogs, and the beginnings of the Last Great Race.
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