50 Years of Iditarod Adventures, The First Fifty Years of the Last Great Race covers five decades of the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Detailed synopses and stories from each annual race by author Lew Freedman are backed up by records of every award winner, and the history is highlighted by biographical sketches of many individuals and families who have contributed to make the race what it is today, a worldwide phenomenon and The Last Great Race on Earth.
This book tells the story of how men and dogs crossing mountains, lakes, rivers, and the unforgiving Bering Sea over the last fifty years have created an event like no other, the Iditarod, the most famous sled dog race in the world. From the inaugural run in 1973, when no one was certain whether such a race was even possible, to a preview of the current running in 2022, the entire history of the Iditarod is here, presented in a cohesive continuum which brings all of the excitement, danger, and glory into focus. The much-heralded 'Tales of the Trail' are all here, from the heroic first trek across the wilderness to the famous one-second win in 1978, from the first women to run the race to the triumphant and unprecedented four consecutive wins, and from the record-breakers to the legends forged on the trail.
The cover art is by famed Alaskan artist Jon Van Zyle, a two-time Iditarod finisher (1976, 1979), a member of the Iditarod Hall of Fame, and the Official Artist of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The artwork, which also appears as the official poster for the 50th Anniversary Race, features the smiling and ghostly features of race founder Joe Redington gazing at a scene of mushers at a camp fire in the snowy wilderness that could well play out during the 2022 race - or may also have taken place during the first race in 1973.
