Iditarod Lessons: John Wood on Dogs, Distance, and Discipline

John Wood is an Alaska musher from Chugiak who started chasing the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in the late nineteen seventies and went on to finish the thousand mile route to Nome four times in 1978, 1979, 1982 and 1986. Known for his dry humor and honesty about the grind of the trail, he once joked that after three runs he had “an unparalleled record of mediocrity” and zero prize money, yet if you asked whether he planned to run again his answer was “hell yes,” because the race embodied adventure, excitement, competition and camaraderie that felt uniquely Alaskan. John served as a musher representative on the Iditarod board and offered straight talking advice to rookies about staying upbeat, caring for their dog teams and setting realistic goals in a race where two weeks of little sleep and deep cold are the norm. The event he helped shape as a veteran competitor and mentor is itself legendary an annual March run from Anchorage to Nome of roughly one thousand miles across mountains, frozen rivers and Bering Sea coast, first completed in 1973 and often called the Last Great Race on Earth for its blend of brutal weather, wilderness travel and the deep historical ties between sled dogs and Alaska communities.

Show Notes:

00:02:37 - Growing Up in Alaska's Homestead

00:06:29 - Mountain Life and Mining Adventures in Alaska

00:09:32 - Getting into Dog Mushing with Trap Lines

00:12:43 - Recording the Grand Canyon with John Wood

00:16:32 - From Finishing to Competing in Iditarod

00:18:59 - Iditarod Southern Route and Racing Strategy

00:22:53 - Alaskan Huskies: Sled Dogs and Racing

00:27:47 - Iditarod Dog Care and Rest Cycles

00:30:52 - Sleep Strategy for Iditarod Success

00:33:43 - Three Life Lessons from Iditarod Racing

00:35:42 - Grand Canyon Evening and Iditarod Song

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