Iditarod 36

Jon Van Zyle

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

Volunteers are Iditarod's unsung heroes

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was built, and to this day depends, on the backs of volunteers. And Jan and Dick Newton have proven to have strong backs.

Jerry Austin: Winning respect along the trail

Just about everything that could happen to an Iditarod musher happened to Jerry Austin.

Don Bowers: In love with the Iditarod's mystique

Don Bowers never had a prayer of winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. He lacked, most notably, the single-minded focus shared by the top competitors. Bowers had too many things going on.

Martin Buser: Champ wins acclaim for dog care

Big Lake musher Martin Buser was selected to the Daily News Iditarod Hall of Fame in 1998.

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. That five-year period was the highlight of an Iditarod racing career that was nearly all highlights. In 12 of the 17 years Butcher ran the race, she finished among the top five mushers. It is a record that made Butcher's selection to the Daily News Iditarod Hall of Fame automatic.

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.

DeeDee Jonrowe: A princess on the runners

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

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. He is one of five people to win the race at least three times. The others are Rick Swenson, Doug Swingley, Susan Butcher and Martin Buser.

Dick Mackey: 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 darnedest finish the race has ever seen.

Herbie Nayokpuk: 'Cannonball' commanded respect

No musher in Iditarod history has been more admired, more respected or better liked than Herbie Nayokpuk.

Emmitt Peters: A 'fox' behind a dog sled

In 1975, Emmitt Peters brought speed to the Iditarod.

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.

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 ever to win the Iditarod.

Joe Redington Sr.: 'Father of the Iditarod'

In 1988, Joe Redington finished fifth in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It was the best he would ever do, and while it was a solid accomplishment it didn't seem like such a big deal until you stopped to consider that he was 71 at the time.

Bob Sept: Vet helps keep dogs and race healthy

Hundreds of Dr. Bob Sept's patients have done something he hasn't -- they've run the Iditarod. Of course, they did it in the teams of race champions like Rick Swenson and Susan Butcher and in the teams of also-rans. Sept did hundreds of hours of veterinary work free.

Rick Swenson: Five-time champion set standard

In 1991, Rick Swenson set out from White Mountain to Nome into a snowstorm so severe that other veteran mushers turned back.

Doug Swingley: Outsider gets inside track

Doug Swingley proudly proclaims his heritage.