2008 Iditarod
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Iditarod featured 95 mushers
and dog teams
. The 36th Annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ceremonally began on Saturday March 1, 2008. The competitive start was the next day.
The 1,161 mile (1,868 km) dogsled race
ran through the American state of Alaska
. The Iditarod course extends from just north of Anchorage to Nome
.
The majority of competing teams hailed from the United States
, while notable other teams from Norway
, Germany
, and Canada
were in the running.
The competition was one of the closest in recent memory, with defending champion Lance Mackey
and four-time winner Jeff King
mushing neck-and-neck for much of the race. Ultimately, the race was won by Mackey, who reached the final checkpoint at 2:46 AM on March 12. Notably, this is the second year in a row Mackey has finished first in both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest
, a feat once thought impossible.
Mushing
Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land...
and dog teams
Sled dog
Sled dogs, known also as sleigh man dogs, sledge dogs, or sleddogs, are highly trained types of dogs that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners also called a sled or sleigh, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines.Sled dogs have become a popular winter recreation...
. The 36th Annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ceremonally began on Saturday March 1, 2008. The competitive start was the next day.
The 1,161 mile (1,868 km) dogsled race
Dogsled racing
Sled dog racing is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sleddogs that pull a sled with the dog driver or musher standing on the runners...
ran through the American state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The Iditarod course extends from just north of Anchorage to Nome
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
.
The majority of competing teams hailed from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, while notable other teams from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
were in the running.
The competition was one of the closest in recent memory, with defending champion Lance Mackey
Lance Mackey
Lance Mackey is an American dog musher and dog sled racer from Fairbanks, Alaska, who is a four-time winner of the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest and four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.-Career:...
and four-time winner Jeff King
Jeff King (mushing)
Jeff King is an American long distance musher who is well known for winning both the 1,049+ mi Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state of Alaska and the 1,100 mi Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race across the U.S. and Canada .King moved to Alaska in 1975 and began racing in 1976...
mushing neck-and-neck for much of the race. Ultimately, the race was won by Mackey, who reached the final checkpoint at 2:46 AM on March 12. Notably, this is the second year in a row Mackey has finished first in both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest
Yukon Quest
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon...
, a feat once thought impossible.