He hardly slept at all. Though he still calls himself a rookie, Iten finished 14th in 1992, his first and only Iditarod. He didn't even know he was going to make it to Anchorage until early December when Lynden Air Cargo offered to fly his 16 dogs from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Living out in the Bush, it is hard to raise the funds and get the sponsors. Iten relies on his dogs for getting to town, hauling wood, and bringing in the meat he hunts for his family.
Most people are really serious about racing and have regimented training schedules.
We are the opposite. Even if I had the time, I don't think I could do it. It sounds really boring. Nevertheless, Iten has been working almost nonstop for months to prepare, leaving little time for their two kids, said Ruth, his wife. Throughout the morning, veterinarians passed scanners over each dog's back, looking for microchips inserted earlier like high-tech fingerprints.