Friday, March 6, 1998
Copyright 1998 Anchorage Daily News
Resurgence of native mushers
Daily News Staff
The 26th Iditarod continues a renaissance of competitive mushing among people with Alaska Native heritage. Returning for his 14th race after five-year absence is Joe Garnie, one of the top dog drivers in the history of the sport.
Along with Libby Riddles, who was then his partner, Garnie fielded a team that took third, first and second in consecutive races in the mid-1980s. His second-place finish behind Susan Butcher in 1986 would have won every previous race.
Garnie isn't alone. Ramy Brooks, son of sprint mushing legend Roxy Wright-Champaine, returns after finishing eighth last year. John Baker, a businessman and commercial pilot from Kotzebue, took 11th. Baker says the human component of his team has caught up with his dogs. "I'm definitely more comfortable and confident, so the dogs won't have to work so hard," he said. "I'm also have a better understanding of the Iditarod this year, especially along the coast." Mike Williams, a popular musher from the Kuskokwim River village of Akiak returns after his best Iditarod, 18th last year. He will again run to promote sobriety among Natives. And Anvik musher Ken Chase, one of the founding veterans of the race, will make his 15th run down the Iditarod trail.
Promoting health for kids
Children love the dogs, fans cheer a favorite musher and Alaska basks in two weeks of tourism publicity that money can't buy. With 63 teams entered and 1,000 miles of back country covered, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is big enough to incorporate just about any interest -- including dog bites. "This was our chance to promote health and talk to kids," said Janet Oates, a spokeswoman from Providence Health System in Anchorage, which helps sponsor the race. Working with mushers, a race veterinarian and several public health agencies, Providence helped publish "Gusty gets a Puppy," an illustrated easy reader that tells the story of a village boy who learns how to keep safe around dogs. The Iditarod's roots are in public health, beginning with the original run in 1925 that saw sled dog drivers relay diphtheria serum to quell an epidemic in Nome. Since then some mushers have dedicated their runs to promoting childhood vaccinations and sobriety. The new children's book began when authorities noted that Alaska leads the nation in dog maulings. Attacks since 1980 have killed 19 children, most of them under 5, the hospital said. Oates said a dog attack in Bristol Bay prompted officials there to invite defending Iditarod champ Martin Buser for a visit, to talk with children about keeping safe around dogs. Plans call for distributing 20,000 copies of "Gusty" to schools statewide.
Compiled by Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra and the Associated Press