Complete Junior Iditarod Race Coverage

The 2002 Junior Iditarod is Complete

See the Iditarod's Official Website for final standings

Cali King runs along the beach by the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet just a few miles from the finish line.

With the awards banquet held Sunday evening at the Best Western Lake Lucile Inn, the 2002 Junior Iditarod came to a close.  At the banquet, every musher in the race was presented with prizes and awards for participation and given a chance to speak to the large crowd.  In their speeches, each musher was very thankful for a great race and a wonderful experience.  Many also singled out their parents and families for their assistance in making this year's race possible.  A number of mushers also thanked sponsors and race volunteers for their very important role in the race.

Numerous local businesses and individuals donated prizes that were given to the mushers for finishing the race.  In addition, the top three finishers were presented with college scholarships made possible by Wells Fargo Bank and 
the Junior Iditarod Race Committee.  Third place finisher Max Kornmuller received a $500 scholarship.  Second place musher Tyrell Seavey received $1,500, and race Champion Cali King received $3,000.  

Race Marshal Andy Willis and a race official check to make sure that Cali King has all the required gear in her sled before annoucing her as the official race champion.

8th place finisher Ellie Claus was voted by her competitors to receive the Sportsmanship Award, and the veterinarians and race officials also voted to give Ellie the Humanitarian Award for the excellent dog care she demonstrated throughout the race.  Rookie of the year honors went to Heather Hardy, who took fourth.  Tyrell Seavey's lead dog, Turbo, was awarded the Blue Harness Award.  The Blue Harness Award is voted on by the mushers and presented to the dog who showed outstanding performance during the race.  When Tyrell went to the podium to accept the award for Turbo, he explained the Blue, his leader from last year who had won the Blue Harness Award in 2001, had become his 'Blue Harness Wheel Dog,' and that Turbo had really answered the call to duty instead.  Turbo lead by himself for much of the race in Tyrell's second-place team.

Iditarod Musher John Baker was invited to give a convocation to the mushers and spectators gathered at the banquet.  In his speech, Baker recounted a few anecdotes from his own trail experiences and used them emphasize setting, working toward, and completing goals.

The Junior Iditarod is unique among sled dog races because it is solely for mushers between the ages of 14 and 17.  The mushers in the race become very close friends before, during, and after the race.  Many of these friendships grow and strengthen throughout subsequent races and later in life.  In this way, the Junior Iditarod provides not only a foundation for future racing experience, but also a foundation for life for the young mushers who enter it.  This is no better illustrated than at the closing banquet for the race, where all of the Junior Iditarod mushers (and even some from previous years) sit around large tables and enjoy one last memory together before the race is over.  I know of no "adult" race where the racers do this.  Mushing is a sport that prides itself on the camaraderie and sportsmanship of its racers, but the Junior Iditarod mushers stand out as one of a kind, and they are the future of our sport.

© 2002 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
Reproduction or distribution in any way or by any means prohibited without permission.
Ultimate Iditarod http://www.ultimateiditarod.com  email: dogboy@ultimateiditarod.com