She then became the president of the Phillip-Knik Centennial Committee in 1966, and was in charge of coming up with an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the purchase of Alaska from Russia.
Page was unable to get the support of a single dog musher until she met Joe Redington, Senior (the "Father of the Iditarod") at the Willow Winter Carnival.
Redington used dog teams to perform search and rescue for the U.S. Air Force, and owned a large kennel.
Redington agreed to lend his support to the event, on the condition that a purse of USD $25,000 be divided among the winners.
In February 1967, 58 dog mushers competed in two heats along a 25-mile (40 km) stretch of the old Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Knik.
Page also helped form the Iditarod Trail Committee, which organizes the race, and the Musher's Hall of Fame in Knik.