The Iditarod is a sled dog race across Alaska. Some key rules are that mushers must pull over and wait if another musher is within 50 yards, dogs must have microchips implanted for identification, and mushers can have up to 16 dogs but must use at least 12 at a time. The race was started to deliver medicine by dog sled after a disease outbreak when other transportation was not possible due to frozen water and thick snow.

1. The Iditarod Race

2. One rule in the Iditarod is that if another musher is 50 yards behind another musher, you have to pull over and let that musher pass and you have to wait for 15 minutes before you can go. You can not take the dogs booties (shoes) off!!!!!! Some Iditarod Rules

3. Rules #1 Each musher has a bib on that has his/her name and number on it. You can’t take the bib off or you’ll get disqualified. You're allowed to take up to 16 dogs on the trail. Rules #2 Rules #2

4. Checkpoints? In a ghost town? First of all, checkpoints are the places on the trail that the mushers stop at. The Iditarod checkpoint is in a ghost town. Neat, huh?

5. How in the world do you get supplies to each checkpoint?! Airplanes take food and supplies to each checkpoint for the mushers. You have to have enough food and supplies at each checkpoint for you and your dog before the race starts.

6. Why do dogs have to have microchips in their skin? The microchips have numbers on them. Sled dogs have to have microchips implanted in their skin so that mushers know which dogs are theirs.

7. How do they know the dogs are healthy? Iditarod dogs always have to get tested and checked over before they can race.

8. Iditarod Map (The Trails)

9. How was the Iditarod started? The Iditarod was started because of a terrible disease.The only cure was a medicine called Serum. But the Serum was only in one certain place that was very far away from Nome. The water was frozen, the snow was to thick to fly, so the only way was by dog sled.

10. The Dog (Sled)

11. What do the dogs eat, anyway? The dogs eat chicken fat, freeze dried tripe, and an assortment of fats along the trail.

12. Who was the winner of the Iditarod? Doug Swingly!!

13. If the players get hurt, what happens? If someone racing gets hurt on the trail, they disqualified. I don’t know why. Getting disqualified like this is called getting scratched.

14. How many dogs can you have? You can have a least 16 dogs with you on the trail. You only have to use 12 at once. If you take a dog out of it’s harness and it has even one little sore on it’s foot, you’re not allowed to put it back in it’s harness.

15. The End