2008 Iditarod 36 : Features

Iditarod is no catwalk for rookie DeNure

Zoya DeNure holds a Phillips head screwdriver in Thursday's mid-afternoon sun, thinking it's the right tool to fix her busted-up dog sled, tucked among the log cabins high on the bluffs of the Takotna River.

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Archive by category ''2008 Iditarod 36 : Features

2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Mackey jumps into the lead

As winter snows wilted in the near-40 degree temperature of the Innoko River country on Thursday afternoon, the dog team of Jeff King -- four-time champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- eased into the Cripple checkpoint to move into a commanding position in what is shaping up as one of ...
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Swenson feels he can run with the best of them

MCGRATH -- Racing in soft snow and warm weather for running dogs, Rick Swenson headed down the frozen Kuskokwim River early Wednesday morning, believing that if he was careful enough, he could hang with the leaders of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for the first time in years.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Dodging disaster

McGRATH -- William Kleedehn tossed chunks of frozen lamb to his lead dog Fajita, a fitting scene on this balmy Wednesday afternoon here on the banks of the Kuskokwim River. The timing of this stop is just right for Kleedehn, an Iditarod rookie but a veteran dog driver.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Trail tales

Only a week ago, water flowed a foot deep over the Iditarod Trail north of Rohn where the Post River spills out of the aptly named Terra Cotta Mountains to meet the mighty Kuskokwim River, which drains the Alaska Range north toward the village of Nikolai.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Leaders of the pack

When Lance Mackey strings his team along Fourth Avenue for this morning's Iditarod ceremonial start, a non-timed, 11-mile puppy parade through Anchorage's streets and urban trails, six of his dogs will begin their chase for an unprecedented four-peat.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Prepping for Iditarod

A ten-time Iditarod veteran, Anchorage physician Robert Bundtzen discusses his routine for preparing for this year's race.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Slide show: Joe Redington's last race

Joe Redington Sr. rode his last race in 1997, the 25th Iditarod. Watch and listen as Frank Gerjevic narrates the story of that final run for the man known as the Father of the Iditarod.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Iditarod has 96 at start

Next month's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race may boast its biggest field ever.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Scdoris gets assist from former Iditarod champ

CARIBOU HILLS -- Fighting whiteout conditions high above treeline on the Kenai Peninsula, not sure if he is on a trail or off, Tim Osmar leads a group of dog teams through a January afternoon storm.
2008 IDITAROD 36 : FEATURES

Iditarod marching orders

NASHVILLE -- Tennessee National Guardsman Master Sgt. Rodney Whaley's choice of transportation looks out of place among the manicured green lawns and brick homes in his suburban neighborhood.