Iditarod

North To Alaska, North The Rush Is On

A field of 99 mushers are confirmed so far for the 2006 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March. Battling the elements and the endurance of their dog teams, these hearty adventurers will try to cover more than 1,100 miles of Alaskan frontier between Anchorage and Nome in nine or ten days. (Oh, you didn’t think we were serious about covering this, did you. Well, read on.) Last year’s winner, Robert Sorlie of Norway, has yet to be included as an official entrant, but the two-time race winner has been actively training for this year’s event. (We even have a whole category for it, buster.) He’ll be up against stiff competition, including 2004 winner Mitch Seavey and four-time champion Doug Swingley. Sorlie picked up more than $72,000 in prize money for his win last year out of a total purse of $750,000. (Do not doubt the Snark.)

The confirmed field includes 27 rookies and 8 mushers from outside North America. The international entrants include Max Hall from the UK, Fabrizio Lovati from Italy, and Norway’s Bjørnar Andersen, who earned rookie of the year honors last year.

(Still think we’re joking? Stay tuned for much, much more.)

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