Champs don't always finish first

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

Starting last weekend and continuing through this week, much of the attention of Alaska will be on the Iditarod Trail, as the leaders make their way to Nome. For most people, these two weeks are the only time they are watching the sport, and few realize the dedication it takes to be an Iditarod musher.

I covered the race for several years as a sports editor here at the Frontiersman, and that gave me the chance to get on the trail and see the real race. Some of the best stories come from the back of the pack.

Everyone knows Martin Buser and Jeff King as multiple-time champions who are always near the front. I've had the opportunity to meet and talk with both mushers and know they are both outstanding, personable guys who are extremely dedicated and caring for their dogs. Personally, I'm a big fan of both of them, and not just because they are top mushers. They are top people, too, and that counts for a lot more in my book than the way they run a race. But both are full-time mushers, while many others simply aren't. Those mushers' stories are just as interesting.

A good majority of the mushers running this race have no shot to win, and they know that the minute they sign up. Just running the Last Great Race is a victory for them, however. Most have full-time jobs doing "normal" things. They come home from work, grab a quick bite to eat as they feed all the dogs in the kennel and then hit the trail for training runs, often calling it a day in the early morning hours. The next day, the routine starts again. The Iditarod may only take two weeks to run, but it is the other 50 weeks that the mushers have to deal with.

Long after the television crews stop rolling tape on the champion and the first few mushers who finish, you'll find a steady stream of finishers crossing under the Burled Arch, many to little or no fanfare. But to them -- and to the Iditarod as a whole -- each and every one of them is a champion.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.