the first iditarod race took place in 1920s.
when did the first iditarod race take place?
1920s
redington along with two school teachers, gleo huyck and tom johnson, was the impetus behind extending the race more than along the historic route to nome. the three co-founders of the race started in october 1972 to plan the now famous race. a major fundraising campaign which raised a purse of $51,000 was also started at the same time. this race was the first true iditarod race and was held in 1973, and attracted a field of 34 mushers, 22 of whom completed the race. dorothy page had nothing to do with the 1973 race, stating that she "washes her hands of the event". the event was a success; even though the purse dropped in the 1974 race, the popularity caused the field of mushers to rise to 44, and corporate sponsorship in 1975 put the race on secure financial footing. despite the loss of sponsors during a dog abuse scandal in 1976, the iditarod caused a resurgence of recreational mushing in the 1970s, and has continued to grow until it is now the largest sporting event in the state. the race was originally patterned after the all alaska sweepstakes races held early in the 20th century.
iditarod trail sled dog race
rick swenson









































rick swenson, sometimes known as the "king of the iditarod", (born 1950 in willmar, minnesota), is an american dog musher who has won the 1,049-mile (1688.2 km) iditarod trail sled dog race across the u.s. state of alaska more times than any other competitor. he won five times, in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1991, and is the only person to win in three separate decades. he won his first iditarod race at the age of 27.
rick swenson