Iditarod

Get Along Little Doggie

Has your pooch been a little more excited than usual the past couple of days? Maybe it’s because the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race finally got underway this weekend with the ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage on Saturday and the restart in Willow the following day. Now two days into the race, Doug Swingley leads the pack after being the first out of the checkpoint at Rohn Roadhouse late last night. The four-time Iditarod champion leads three-time champ Jeff King by about 35 minutes, while Ramy Brooks holds down third place. Katrina Pawlaczyk is your current Red Lantern. Two mushers, Lori Townsend and Gary Paulsen, have scratched.

If there are any Spring Breakers out there still planning their getaway from campus, I would suggest ditching Padre Island for a trip to Rohn. The official Iditarod guide says it has a population of 0 and is the final checkpoint before the “bleak but treacherous Farewell Burn area.” Sounds kinda fun, huh? Bring a jacket, though; the temperature in McGrath, the next major checkpoint, is a balmy 16 degrees with light snow. At the finish line in Nome it is 12 degrees below zero.

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