^TM

Let the Bidding Begin!

Anchorage, Alaska

Experiencing the thrill of Alaska's Last Great Race -- the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- is available to those adventure-seekers who are the highest bidders in the 10th Annual Idita-Rider Auction.  The auction kicks-off Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003, to bid on an exclusive ride in the sled basket of an Iditarod musher for the first 11 miles of the 2004 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 

More than 1,000 barking dogs, prancing in brightly colored fleece booties, will be on snow-covered Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, March 6, 2004, anxiously awaiting the start of the 32nd Annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  The air crackles with excitement as teams of 16 eager dogs prepare to bolt from their starting positions with mushers and lucky Idita-Riders, tucked snugly in the sled baskets, in tow.  Meanwhile, thousands of onlookers line the sidewalks and trails to catch a glimpse of the excited dogs and mushers.       

"More than 500 people have participated as Idita-Riders since the program began in 1995," said Stan Hooley, executive director for the Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc.  "Several of the participants have come back for a fifth or sixth time because it was so much fun."  Past celebrity Idita-Riders include comedian Joan Rivers, actress Susan Lucci, former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley, and Gary Collins.  Final bid totals for 2003 were $103,557.

Becoming an Idita-Rider is easy.  Interested persons can participate in the auction by bidding on a specific musher. Bids will be accepted through 12 p.m. AST, Friday, Jan. 23, 2004.  Minimum bids begin at $500. 

Currently 86 mushers have signed up to participate in the 2004 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  For more information on the Iditarod or to download 2004 Idita-Rider Auction forms, visit www.iditarod.com.  For additional Anchorage adventures, explore www.anchorage.net or call 1-800-478-1255 for a 2004 Official Anchorage Visitors Guide.

Edited by Dave Shultz

Back to TravelLady Magazine