Nome Convention and Visitor Bureau, Nome, Alaska

General Information

In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic threatened the town of Nome. The much needed serum was raced from Nenana to Nome by dog team. Twenty teams relayed the medicine 674 miles in 127.5 hours!

Today this historic event is commemorated with the world famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race. The competition starts in Anchorage on the first Saturday in March. The first musher arrives in Nome approximately 9-11 days later. Teams continue to arrive day and night for the next week and a half.

In Nome, activities include a reindeer potluck, arts & crafts shows, Iditarod awards banquets, an opportunity to "meet the mushers," the world's largest basketball tournament the Iditarod Basketball Tournament (over 50 teams in one location), the Ice Golf Classic and a dart tournament. Be sure to make hotel reservations in advance or phone the visitor center for housing assistance.

History of the Red Lantern

During the days of Alaska sled dog freighting and mail carrying, dog drivers relied on a series of roadhouses between their village destinations. Since these mushers ventured out in all types of weather they decided to use a "flight plan." Word was relayed ahead that a musher and team were on the trail, and a kerosene lamp was lit and hung outside the roadhouse. It not only helped the dog driver find his destination at night, but more importantly, it signified that a team or teams were somewhere out on the trail. The lamp was not extinguished until the musher safely reached his destination.

Beginning in 1986, Chevron USA continued the tradition by hanging a "Red Lantern," as it is known today, on the burl arch in Nome. Each year the lantern is lit at the beginning of the race and hung on the finish line, not to be extinguished until the very last musher crosses the finish line. Once the musher crosses the line, (s)he then extinguishes the lantern, signifying the official end of the race. Thus, the last musher in the race is called the "Red Lantern" musher.

The "Last Great Race"

You can't compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1049 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother "Husky" photo by Nadja Demos Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that the temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the IDITAROD! A RACE EXTRA ORDINAIRE, a race only possible in Alaska.

From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 18 dogs and their musher cover over 1049 miles in two to three weeks.

Many people ask, "What does Iditarod mean?" It is believed that the early Athabascan Indians called their inland hunting ground Haiditarod, "the distant place." Later when gold was discovered in the same area the miners founded the town at the Indians hunting camp, which they spelled Iditarod. In 1910 the Alaska Roads Commission brushed out and marked a trail from Nome through Iditarod and on to Seward, the major seaport in southcentral Alaska. Originally called the Seward Trail, it later became known as the Iditarod Trail.

It has been called the "Last Great Race on Earth" and has won worldwide acclaim and interest. German, Spanish, British, Japanese and American film crews have covered the event. Journalists from outdoor magazines, adventure magazines, newspapers and wire services flock to Anchorage and Nome to record the excitement. It's not just a dog sled race ... it's a race in which unique men and women compete. Mushers enter from all walks of life... fishermen, lawyers, doctors, miners, artists, etc. Men and women enter each with their own story, each with their own reasons for going the distance. It's a race organized and run primarily by volunteers ... thousands of volunteers ... men and women, students and village residents. They man headquarters at Anchorage, Eagle River, Fairbanks, Juneau, Nome and Wasilla. They fly in dog food and supplies. They act as checkers, coordinators, veterinarians and family supporters for each musher.

Fact & Figures

Start Date: The first Saturday in March each year.

First Race: Left Anchorage March 3, 1973. Won by Dick Wilmarth in just over 20 days.

Distance: 1,049 is a symbolic figure. (A thousand mile race in the 49th State.) The actual mileage is closer to 1,200 miles, depending upon the route taken. The Iditarod is the longest dog sled race in the world.

First Woman to Win the Race: Libby Riddles in 1985

Entry Fee: $1,750

Shortest Completed Time: 9 days, 2 hours, 42 minutes and 19 seconds in 1995 by Doug Swingley

Age Range of Mushers: 18 to 81 years

Prize Money: $400,000
($50,000 to first place)

Closest Finish: 1978 -- after two weeks on the trail, Dick Mackey beat Rick Swenson by only one second!

Checkpoints: There are over 20 checkpoints along the trail where mushers must sign in and where each musher's 2,500 pounds of dog food has been distributed. A veterinarian is stationed at each checkpoint to provide care to the dogs.

Possible Temperature Extremes During Race:
+45 ° F to -60 ° F

Iditarod Highlights

There are 27 checkpoints, the first in Anchorage, the last in Nome.
There are two routes, the Northern and the Southern. The trail alternates each year.
The teams average 15 dogs in size, which means that more than 1,000 dogs leave Anchorage for Nome each year.
The most mushers to finish the race was 63 in 1992.
Although most of the competing mushers are Alaskans, many other states have been represented in the Iditarod, including New York, Montana, Ohio, Alabama, Texas and California.
These countries have been represented in the race: Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Great Britain, New Zealand, Russia, Japan and Italy.
Iditarod has been covered by CBS, ABC, NBC, BBC, the Spanish, Canadian, German and Japanese Media.

Trail Map Routes and Checkpoints

Please click to enlarge.
Northern Route: Run on EVEN years
Southern Route: Run on ODD years

Iditarod Housing

Nome has a number of accommodations including hotels, apartments and a variety of bed & breakfast lodging. However, when Iditarod rolls around in March it is sometimes hard to find a place to stay.

After all commercial accommodations are booked, the Nome Visitor Center will assist with overflow housing by referring visitors to private homes. The available space could be an extra bedroom, sofa or sleeping bag space. The fees vary accordingly.

A brief description of the space available, the price and any other criteria requested by the Nome host is kept at the visitor center. These will usually specify smoking/non-smoking, information on children/pets, lifestyle preferences (non-alcohol homes) and amenities provided (cooking facilities, laundry, TV etc.).

Visitors will be given three referrals based on their preferences. It is then up to the visitor to book directly with the housing host. Some may require an advance deposit to hold the reservation.

We suggest that you make your Iditarod reservations as soon as possible. Please do not call for private home information until February, since we are not permitted to release that information until after all commercial housing is full.

© Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum		General Information
		History of the Red Lantern
		The "Last Great Race"
		Facts & Figures
		Trail Map
		Iditarod Housing
		Official Iditarod Homepage