by Kim Slade
School News:

Students at Larson Elementary are kicking off the start to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race by racking up points with the school’s Idita-Math program. In order to move along the trail (which is found in the main hallway at the school) students must spend a minimum of 10 minutes per night working on math. One class I spoke to had over 2,000 minutes this week, which allowed them to move to the next checkpoint along the trail. Way to Go!

Jr. Iditarod Info:

Twenty-six Jr. Iditarod mushers met tonight at the Iditarod Headquarters to sign in, pick their starting order, and review the rules of the race – which begins tomorrow at Knik Lake. Mushers will travel the trail to Yentna Station, the halfway checkpoint – the route to Yentna is approximately 75 miles and will bring them to the mandatory 10-hour stop. The race then will continue back, changing course, to finish at Willow Lake sometime on Sunday.

Race Marshall, and past 2003 Jr. Iditarod winner, Ellie Claus reiterated that the number one concern was to “run a safe race” “taking extra care of the dogs out there.”

The mood in the room, where parents and young mushers met, was mixed; many mushers had smiles on their faces, while some had creases of apprehension. The field consists of 17 rookies and 9 veterans.

Find out more about the Jr. Iditarod on the website under the ‘Jr. Iditarod’ link.

It’s All About the Dogs:

The dogs of the Jr. Iditarod meet with veterinarians today at race headquarters for their Pre-Race Vet Check. Undergoing more stringent testing than any other major athlete, Iditarod dogs have to get a clean bill of heath before heading out on the trail.

Pictures: Students at Larson Elementary move along the Trail; Jr. Iditarod musher MacKenzie Davis, bib#2, poses for a picture; Dogs waiting to get checked; We got the okay to race!