The Junior Iditarod is a 150-mile race for mushers ages 14 to 17.  The trail stretches from Knik over the first 85 miles of the main Iditarod Trail to Yentna Station, where competitors are required to take a 10-hour layover, before returning to Willow the next day.

This year Cain Carter, stepson of two-time defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey, won the XXXII running of the Junior Iditarod.  He finished with a comfortable lead; there was no other musher in sight as he crossed the finish line.  That was a big change from last year when Carter lost to Jessica Klejka of Bethel by two seconds in a mad dash to the finish.

The Junior Iditarod, however competitive it may be, is much more than just a race.  The clock ticks, and a finish line awaits, but it is the test of being alone, and caring for the every need of your dog team that demands full attention, skill, and discipline.  Ten hours of mandatory rest may sound like a lot of time, but not when you consider how long it takes for mushers to cook food for their dogs teams, set up beds of straw, and get ready for the return trip.  If you add in the camaraderie with other mushers, and the time it takes to build the legendary Junior Iditarod bonfire, you realize that competitors don’t sleep long.

While Carter was enjoying a hamburger in the Willow Community Center after the race someone asked how he was feeling.  His response was, “I’m a little tired, but it was worth it.”  Carter won the race, the $5,500 first place scholarship award and three round-trip plane tickets to Nome for the Iditarod Awards Banquet.  But you get the idea he would have worked just as hard to win if there was no prize money at all.

Congratulations to all of the Junior Iditarod mushers, their families, and their teams.  And best wishes to the 17 year old mushers who have graduated from the Junior Iditarod.  Please check http://www.jriditarod.com/racecurrent.php for complete race results.