Iditarod Hall of Fame

An air force of one

When the Iditarod began in 1973, organizers had a wacky vision of racing dog teams across the vast frozen nothingness that dominates the heart of Alaska come winter.

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Archive by category ''Iditarod Hall of Fame

IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Doug Katchatag: Iditarod trailblazer

Salmon brought Joe Redington Sr. and Doug Katchatag together back in late 1960s, but it was dogs that bound them for life.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Leo Rasmussen: A longtime love affair with race

Nome businessman Leo Rasmussen hasn't been with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race forever; it just seems that way.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Down-to-the-wire winner

For 800 miles, Dick Mackey and Rick Swenson rarely lost sight of each other. With a few others, they jockeyed for position along the length of Alaska. At the end, they found themselves out in front of everyone else and proceeded to stage the most spectacular finish the race has ever seen.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Jon Van Zyle: A picture-perfect race supporter

Artist Jon Van Zyle has a love affair with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that goes back decades.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Libby Riddles: Libbymania helped propel race

Libby Riddles made her own luck. On a Sunday night in 1985, she mushed 13 dogs out of Shaktoolik and into the teeth of a blizzard that pinned every other racer to the town. The daring move gave Riddles a lead that couldn't be overcome, and she reached Nome three days later as the first woman...
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Lance Mackey: Like father, like son

To say Lance Mackey rose from humble beginnings to become a dominant force in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race would be to understate the roots from which his legend grew.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

DeeDee Jonrowe: A princess on the runners

If there is such a thing as Iditarod royalty, DeeDee Jonrowe is the people's princess.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Jeff King: Among dog-racing royalty

Jeff King's third Iditarod victory, in 1998, put him into the Daily News Iditarod Hall of Fame and into fast company. In 2006, he added his fourth victory, putting him one win behind all-time leader Rick Swenson.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Joe Delia: A winner who never raced

Joe Delia never ran the Iditarod, but it's hard to imagine the race without him. Even though he officially retired as the Skwentna checker after the 1997 race, the checkpoint was still at his house last year. And Delia was still to be seen doing this and that -- unofficially.
IDITAROD HALL OF FAME

Susan Butcher: She carved up the competition

No other Iditarod musher has ever had five years like Susan Butcher's stretch between 1986 and 1990. In those years Butcher finished first, first, first, second -- by less than one hour -- and first again.