I appreciated this, and tried to take the best possible care of the old dog. The Serum Run began as a non-profit organization in 1997 by Col. Norman Vaughn, a dog musher and Arctic explorer. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. This is part one of our limited series on the 1925 Serum Run.On this first episode, our host, Alex Stein tells the story of the gold rush village of Nome, Alaska in it’s heyday and up to the point when in 1925 they were in the thralls of a diphtheria epidemic and needed help fast. Prior to reading The Cruelest Miles, a fabulous book by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury about the legendary inspiration for the annual Iditarod dog sled race, my own knowledge of the historic Serum Run was sparse. Larry Daugherty, a musher from Eagle River, holds empty packages of COVID-19 vaccine which he will carry with him on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in a nod to the 1925 Serum Run… Togo, in his sixteenth year, seemed content to rest on his laurels. The idea for the Iditarod started with Dorothy Page. Sled dogs played an important role during the gold rush, in helping to deliver mail, and bringing supplies to remote areas of Alaska. Objectives The Norwegian-born Seppala first arrived in Alaska in 1900, when most sled dogs were burly Alaskan Malamutes or mixed breeds. Number one was to FIND serum and number two was to quickly TRANSPORT it to Nome. Iditarod was started to celebrate the historic role of sled dogs and keep them a part of Alaska today and always. Around that time, the first known Siberian Huskies in America were brought to Nome by Russian fur trader William Goosak. Photo courtesy of Kirsten Bey (2020). "Amazingly, Iditarod dogs seem able to repair this damage, which we see on the first day of racing, on subsequent days of the run." Socially Distanced Iditarod Sled Dog Teams Dash off From Secluded Alaska River Site ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Forty-six mushers and their … The total distance is about 860 miles, roughly 100 miles shorter than the traditional route to Nome. There were pilots willing to fly the dangerous rescue mission. But according to the site’s web s ite, the race was created to preserve the sport of dog mushing. Options from Nenana to Nome were limited. L'Iditarod est une course annuelle de chiens de traîneaux commémorant la première course au sérum de 1925 [2]. His mounted body is featured at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters in Wasilla, and his role in the serum run is well known among mushers and historians. Governor Bone had made the correct decision. The life-saving serum was delivered to Nome in a record-breaking 127.5 hours, without a single broken vial. Besides comforting the families and caring for the sick children, there were two major tasks at hand. After about 122 miles and two days of traveling on the frozen Yukon River, Expedition Leader Robert Forto says the team was glad to trade Arctic ovens for lodging once they arrived at an earlier stop at the Ruby school, where they could dry out and rest. They are held to the highest standards for testing and veterinarian care and monitoring. With deliveries and rest stops, the route took three to four weeks. "I just let them go and they followed the trail," he told AP News. Map of the January 1925 Serum Run along the Iditarod Trail from The Cruelest Miles Prior to reading The Cruelest Miles, a fabulous book by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury about the legendary inspiration for the annual Iditarod dog sled race, my own knowledge of the historic Serum Run … He recalled that he couldn't even see his dogs in front of him because of the fog rolling off the snow. Diphtheria has now been largely eradicated in developed countries. In the winter of 1924-25, Dr. Curtis Welch was the only doctor in Nome and the outlying communities. They rolled it out of the hanger, spun the prop and the engine raced into action and kept on racing. Get the serum to Nome fast or get the serum to Nome for sure – that was the decision left for the Governor of Alaska, Scott Bone. By 1925 — eight years after winning their third title — Seppala and his lead dog Togo were Alaska's most famous sled dog team. After a large quantity of serum was found in Anchorage the first part of the delivery plan was a given. Today’s race commemorates both the serum run and Alaska’s frontier past, and it is patterned after the famed All Alaska Sweepstakes Race between Nome and Candle that began in 1908. The Iditarod Trail Invitational human powered race for bikers, runners and skiers also follows the Iditarod Trail from Knik to McGrath with a 350-mile race and to Nome in the 1000 mile race. As the run proceeded, the weather grew increasingly dangerous. In memory of the serum run’s principal musher, Leonhard Seppala, the Iditarod was originally called the Iditarod Trail Seppala Memorial Race. He even posed without fuss for a photograph with his cups and trophies, perhaps imagining himself as he was in the old days. ANCHORAGE, Alaska: The first of 47 mushers and their teams of huskies competing in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race dashed off on their trek into the Alaska wilderness on Sunday, setting out on a course drastically altered by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s become a common misconception that the Iditarod race commemorates the 1925 Serum Run when dog teams carried life-saving serum to Nome during a diphtheria outbreak. Kaltag, Alaska public school. This came to be known as the 1925 Serum Run. In memory of the serum run’s principal musher, Leonhard Seppala, the Iditarod was originally called the Iditarod Trail Seppala Memorial Race. The serum had to get there faster! *Note: Teaches: Please remember: The Serum Run is an example of one of the important roles the sled dogs played in Alaska’s history. And there will be no finish line in Nome, the Bering Sea town that has long served as the end point for a race course that roughly follows the path of the legendary diphtheria serum run to Nome by dog sled teams in 1925. With 28 confirmed cases of diphtheria and as many as 80 people in … "This is kind of a different year. Courtesy of Phil Pryzmont. The total distance is about 860 miles, roughly 100 miles shorter than the traditional route to Nome. Part of the dogs' secret is that they can eat a truly extreme diet. The story of the 1925 Serum Run was detailed in a bestselling book by cousins Gay and Laney Salisbury, The Cruelest Miles (W.W. Norton & Co., 2003), but the most compelling recounting was given in a book which had been written 73 years earlier, by the famous Alaskan musher Leonhard Seppala, who carried the serum over the treacherous ice of Norton Sound. For the children in Nome, speed was very important! Iditarod: The 1925 Serum Run From Anchorage to Nome Subjects Applied Math Arithmetic Measurement Health Our Bodies Social Studies Geography Grades 6-12 Brief Description The year is 1925. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - While the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the route and protocols of the 2021 Iditarod, race officials say that in addition to paying homage to the 1925 serum run-- a relay of dog teams carrying diphtheria serum to Nome-- the running of the 49th Iditarod will also fulfill the original dream of the man most know as the Father of the Iditarod.