But nothing compares with achieving a challenging goal through extraordinary team effort. These dogs are elite athletes whose desire to run and eagerness to live inspire me. Teams, which hail from around the world, are comprised of 16 dogs at the starting gun and may finish with as few as six. The dogs receive veterinary care at each of 26 checkpoints along the route and may be dropped at the checkpoints for health reasons or, more often, strategy. It's simply easier and quicker to control, feed and care for fewer dogs as the tired musher approaches the finish line.
Volunteers care for the dropped dogs until they are flown to Anchorage for owner pickup.
Getting dogs to participate is no problem, but slowing them down certainly is. Most are so eager to run that restraining them in the race's early stages is difficult but critical to later success. After participating in nine Iditarods, King follows a winning system. His plan includes clothing provided by sponsor Cabela's, a Nebraska-based catalog company specializing in outdoor gear. Through experience and six years with Cabela's, King has adjusted his apparel to near perfection, layering to achieve comfort in -70 F weather on a stormy pass to 40 F on a sunny afternoon.