Junior Iditarod Racers

RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR_Cover
GRADE 6
Lesson 8
WORD COUNT
1,198
GENRE
Narra tive Nonfiction
LEVEL
Below Level
Harcourt Leveled
Readers Online Database
ISBN-13: 978-0-15-350575-1
ISBN-10: 0-15-350575-3
>
ËxHSKBPDy505751zv*:+:!:+:! by Iris Dineen

RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR_P1
by Iris Dineen
Cover: Alaska Stock LLC/Alamy; 3, Jeff Schultz/Alaska Stock; 4 Al Lorenz; 5 Jeff Schultz/Alaska
Stock; 6 Paul Souders/Corbis; 7, 8 Jeff Schultz/Alaska Stock; 9 Troy Wayrynen/NewSport/Corbis; 10
Tom Stillo/Index Stock Imagery; 11, 12, 13 Jeff Schultz/Alaska Stock; 14 Photo/Al Grillo.
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ISBN 10: 0-15-350575-3

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 179 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
The air is cold and crisp this Alaskan winter

morning in 2003. The young dogsled mushers, or racers,
wait at the starting line for their numbers to be called.
Soon they will be off. The sled dogs will race down
the snow-covered trail, their mushers shouting out
commands to guide them. Each sled might have as
many as ten dogs pulling it.
These young mushers are boys and girls between
the ages of fourteen and seventeen. They are about to
compete in a junior version of the most famous dogsled
race in the world—the Iditarod.
3
The real Iditarod is a dogsled race between

Anchorage and Nome, Alaska. The race trail covers over
a thousand miles (1,609 km). It has taken place every
year since 1973.
The race was begun, in part, to honor a dogsled run
that saved many lives in Nome in 1925. That’s when
twenty brave mushers rushed serum from Anchorage to
Nome. The serum was needed to save people in Nome
from a lethal epidemic of the disease diphtheria.
4
Many people feel that the Iditarod is the most
challenging race in the world. It is certainly a difficult
race. Mushers and their dog teams must guide sleds
weighing about 200 pounds (90.7 kg) up mountains
and across streams. They must travel on sea ice and
down frozen riverbeds. They have to deal with freezing
temperatures, icy winds, and blizzards that make it
almost impossible to see. The mushers must keep water
from seeping into their clothing.
The Junior Iditarod is not quite as tough. The young
mushers only race about 160 miles (257.5 km). Instead
of taking more than a week, the race usually takes just
over one day.
5
RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR.indd 5 5/23/07 2:44:09 PM

Still, racing the Junior Iditarod is an impressive feat.

Mushers and their dogs must work together along the
trail. For many of these mushers, that’s as natural as
breathing. Some have been running sled dogs since they
first started walking.
Many are the children of Iditarod champions. The
young mushers have grown up raising, caring for, and
racing sled dogs. They know the dangers and problems
that lie along the trail. However, they wouldn’t miss the
thrill of dogsled racing for the world.
6
The race begins. One by one, nineteen young

mushers start down the trail. One of them is Ellie Claus.
Ellie was long ago diagnosed as an avid dogsled racer.
This is Ellie’s fourth Junior Iditarod. She has been
racing it since she was fourteen years old, but she has
never won the race. This year, she will celebrate her
seventeenth birthday out on the trail. Next year, she will
be too old to race in the Junior Iditarod. This is Ellie’s
last shot at a win—her last chance for glory. Can she
pull it off?
7
The race starts well for her. Ellie runs the first 77
miles (123.9 km) of the race without any big problems
or delays. She arrives at the Sourdough checkpoint just
behind Nikolai Buser, who’s in first place.
All the mushers are required to rest for eight hours
at the Sourdough checkpoint. They feed their dogs and
allow them to sleep. Some mushers take a rest as well,
but most gather around a big campfire. There they pass
the time by joking around and telling stories.
8
This year, Ellie has brought something special to the

campfire. Her seventeenth birthday has arrived here at
the Sourdough checkpoint. She brings out a chocolate
cake to share with the other mushers. It gets devoured
amidst much laughter.
Though they are competing against one another, the
mushers are also friends. Most have grown up in Alaska
and have met before at other races on the dogsled
circuit. Many have parents who have raced against one
another in the real Iditarod.
When asked, many of the Junior Iditarod racers say
that this friendship and sense of community are what
they love most about the race. Some junior racers make
a plea to their parents to return to the race each year for
this reason.
9
The second thing most racers love about the race
is being out in the wilderness, alone with their dogs.
Mushers and their dogs have to work together as a team
to race well. For many Junior Iditarod racers, being out
on the trail adds to their sense of self-worth and their
ability to join forces with their dogs. For them, it’s not
just about racing, it’s about life!
SL ED DO GS
Most sled dogs in Alaskan sled races are Alaskan

huskies. Though not a true breed recognized by dog
associations, Alaskan huskies have been bred for
traits that make them good racers. Most are some
combination of Siberian huskies and other breeds,
especially hounds.
10
RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR.indd 10 5/23/07 2:47:12 PM

After her eight-hour rest at Sourdough checkpoint,

Ellie gets ready to head back out on the trail. First, she
has to wait for Nicolai Buser to set out. Mushers leave
Sourdough checkpoint in the same order in which they
came in. Nicolai arrived first, so he leaves first. Ellie is
getting her sled and her dog team ready as he takes off.
A few minutes later, she is allowed to leave. Ellie will
have to work hard if she wants to catch up to Nicolai.
Nicolai is the son of four-time Iditarod champion Martin
Buser. Winning the Iditarod is practically in his genes!
No one would be surprised if Nicolai won this race.
11
Ellie, however, is determined not to let that happen.

Though he started ahead of her, Ellie manages to
intercept and pass Nicolai. With only 27 miles (43.5
km) left to go in the race, Ellie is nineteen minutes
ahead of him. She can’t breathe easy yet, though.
Anything could still happen. Until she crosses the finish
line, she can’t count this race as a win.
Still, Ellie can feel the excitement begin to build
inside of her. Ever since she watched the Junior Iditarod
as a young girl, she has wanted to win this race. Now
that goal seems within her grasp.
12
Just after 11:00 A.M., on her seventeenth birthday,

Ellie Claus’s dream finally comes true. She is the first to
cross the Junior Iditarod finish line. Five other mushers,
including Nicolai Buser, come in not long after her.
Among those first six finishers, however, Ellie Claus
is unique. The others are all the children of top dogsled
racers. In contrast, Ellie is the only dogsled racer in her
family. She has worked very hard to reach her goal.
13
As the afternoon wears on, more and more racers

trickle in. That evening, they will all rendezvous at the
awards banquet. For winning the Junior Iditarod, Ellie
will receive a $4,000 college scholarship.
Her mind, however, is already on her next goal. She
wants to race in the real Iditarod the next year. She will
turn eighteen, the minimum age, just before it starts.
Four years ago, she was the youngest musher to ever
race in the Junior Iditarod. Now she is determined to
be the youngest racer ever in the main event as well.
No one doubts she can do it. Though it takes a lot of
determination to finish the “Last Great Race on Earth,”
Ellie Claus has plenty of that.
14
Think Critically
1. What is the Junior Iditarod?
2. What was Ellie Claus’s goal for the 2003 Junior

Iditarod?
3. Summarize what happened to Ellie during the 2003

Junior Iditarod.
4. How is Ellie Claus like many kids her age? How is

she different?
5. Would you ever want to race in the Junior Iditarod?

Why or why not?
Social Studies
Iditarod Poster Find out more about the Junior Iditarod. Use
the Internet to help you. When did it first start? Who were some
other winners? How long did it take them to cross the finish line?
Create a poster to share the information you find.
School-Home Connection Tell an adult at home

about Ellie Claus and the Junior Iditarod. Discuss how
Ellie is both alike and different from you.
Word Count: 1,198 (with graphic 1,207)

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RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR_Cover

ËxHSKBPDy505751zv*:+:!:+:! by Iris Dineen

Copyright © by Harcourt, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 10: 0-15-350575-3

The air is cold and crisp this Alaskan winter

The real Iditarod is a dogsled race between

RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR.indd 5 5/23/07 2:44:09 PM

Still, racing the Junior Iditarod is an impressive feat.

The race begins. One by one, nineteen young

This year, Ellie has brought something special to the

Most sled dogs in Alaskan sled races are Alaskan

RXENL08ARD6B08_BLR.indd 10 5/23/07 2:47:12 PM

After her eight-hour rest at Sourdough checkpoint,

Ellie, however, is determined not to let that happen.

Just after 11:00 A.M., on her seventeenth birthday,

As the afternoon wears on, more and more racers

2. What was Ellie Claus’s goal for the 2003 Junior

3. Summarize what happened to Ellie during the 2003

4. How is Ellie Claus like many kids her age? How is

5. Would you ever want to race in the Junior Iditarod?

School-Home Connection Tell an adult at home

Word Count: 1,198 (with graphic 1,207)

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