Dog Sled
A dog sled team competes in the World Championship Dog Derby in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. Dog sled teams like this one delivered life-saving diphtheria medicine to Nome, Alaska, in 1925.
Photograph by W.E. Garrett, National Geographic
On February 2, 1925, a dog sled team delivered medicine to the town of Nome, Alaska. The team delivered a crucial supply of diphtheria antitoxin, preventing an epidemic of the deadly disease in the isolated Arctic town.
The first leg of the relay, involving 20 mushers and more than 100 sled dogs, had begun five days earlier in Nenana, Alaska, about 1,046 kilometers (650 miles) east of Nome. The mushers raced across frozen tundra, icy rivers, forbidding mountain ranges, and shifting sea ice. Dogs and mushers also had to endure blizzards and avoid other animals, such as moose, bears, and reindeer herds.
The athleticism and dedication displayed by the dogs and mushers inspired Joe Redington Sr., to organize one of the most intimidating races in the world—the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This was done to honor the fading culture of dog sledding and to pay tribute to the trail used by the team in the serum run. Every year, hundreds of athletes (both human and canine) compete in a grueling test of physical and psychological endurance from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nome.
athlete
Noun
person who participates or competes in sporting events.
blizzard
Noun
storm with high winds, intense cold, heavy snow, and little rain.
crucial
Adjective
very important.
endure
Verb
to survive.
forbid
Verb
to disallow or prohibit.
grueling
Adjective
physically difficult.
inspire
Verb
to influence to act.
isolate
Verb
to set one thing or organism apart from others.
medicine
Noun
substance used for treating illness or disease.
musher
Noun
driver of a team of sled dogs.
psychological
Adjective
having to do with mental facilities and awareness.
relay
adjective, noun
type of team racing where athletes compete in sequence. Also called a relay race.
toxin
Noun
poisonous substance, usually one produced by a living organism.
tundra
Noun
cold, treeless region in Arctic and Antarctic climates.
