If there is such a thing as Iditarod royalty, DeeDee Jonrowe is the people's princess.
In a sport where the biggest stars need only their first names to be recognized -- Rick, Susan, Martin, Libby -- few have forged a stronger and more emotional bond with fans than Jonrowe.
Go to downtown Anchorage on the first Saturday in March and you are likely to hear "Go, DeeDee!" as often as you hear the howl of a husky. Go to Nome the second week of March and you are likely to see a huge welcoming committee for Jonrowe, whether she finishes second or 22nd.
DeeDee paraphernalia is everywhere. There are DeeDee headbands, DeeDee postcards and one year there was even DeeDee lip balm.
Being a petite and attractive woman in a sport that conjures images of burly men braving wild terrain doesn't hurt.
But she's not a style-over-substance musher.
Jonrowe has two second-place finishes (1993 and 1998), nine top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes.
"I don't think you have to win the race ... to be a member of the Hall of Fame," nominating committee member Fran Durner wrote. "I do think you have to love the race, show a dedication to it and be an inspiration and an example for those who follow it. I think DeeDee has shown all that and more."
If Jonrowe defines popularity, so too does she define perseverance.
In 1996, she was injured in a car accident that killed her grandmother and seriously injured her husband. She trained while she recovered and finished fourth in the 1997 Iditarod. In 1999, her dogs quit on the Yukon River. She revamped her team and finished 10th in 2001.
Jonrowe was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2002. She ran the 2003 race, finishing 18th, just three weeks after completing chemotherapy treatment.