In 1988, Joe Redington finished fifth in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Seems like a decent showing, until you stop to consider that Redington was 71 at the time. Then the result becomes remarkable.

That is only one of the remarkable things Redington has done in connection with the Iditarod. For example, he thought up the race.

''Father of the Iditarod, as they say,'' wrote nominating committee member Frank Gerjevic. ''Tireless willing worker to get the race going and keep it going. A solid musher, tough old hombre. I don't think there would have been an Iditarod without his work.''

The story of how the race began is an oft-told tale. Redington, a dog musher since coming to Alaska after World War II, told anyone who would listen about his idea of a race to Nome. By 1973, enough people had listened to make a race happen. Redington's dogs ran the race but he didn't. During the leisurely 20 days it took the winner to reach Nome, Redington was in Anchorage, trying to raise the money to pay the prizes.

''When I guaranteed a purse of $50,000, we didn't have a dime,'' Redington said.

In the years that followed, the race had its ups and downs. But none of its problems stemmed from a lack of hard work by Redington. He promoted the race tirelessly, trained other mushers, leased dog teams to racers, and ran the race every year from 1974 to 1992. One of the mushers he trained, Susan Butcher, won four times. Redington has never finished higher than fifth. But as many people associated with the race will tell you, the Iditarod isn't just about winning. And neither is the Hall of Fame.

''His hard work and dedication to the fund-raising and promotion of the race, plus being a great competitor for many years, should earn him a place in the Hall of Fame,'' reader David F. Schwantes wrote.