All Alaska Sweepstakes

Two commemorative events occurred in 1983 and 2008, to mark the 75th and 100th anniversaries of the first race, respectively.

In 1907, the local administrators of the Nome Kennel Club in Nome, Alaska, developed plans for a long-distance dog-sled race that followed a route along the Bering Strait.

The telegraphic lines enabled the mushers to communicate their checkpoint times and ranks to the media.

Mushers were required to finish the race with as many dogs as they started with, whether they were alive, injured or dead.

To help minimize the weight on each sled, a minimum amount of items such as clothes, water and shoes for the dogs was loaded.