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What is the Red Lantern Award in Iditarod?
According to historians, awarding the red lantern for the last-place finisher has become an Alaska tradition in sled dog racing. The award honors the final musher’s perseverance in not giving up, making the decision to fulfill their team’s purpose.
What is the red lantern award and why is it called this?
The Red Lantern Award is for the last finisher in the dog team race from Anchorage to Nome. It’s an award for perseverance instead of abandoning the race. The name comes from an analogy with trains where traditionally the guard’s van, the last wagon on the train, had a red lantern as a warning to any following train.
Who is the Red Lantern Award given to each year?
musher
The Red Lantern is given to the last musher who crosses the finish line and completes the Iditarod. Victoria, an Iditarod rookie, was the 39th musher to successfully travel the approximate 1,000 mile southern …
Who wins the Red Lantern Award in the Iditarod?
Victoria Hardwick
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – At 12:22 a.m. Thursday, veteran Iditarod musher Victoria Hardwick, bib number 48, crossed the finish line in Deshka Landing claiming the Red Lantern Award.
Who is the first woman to win the Iditarod?
Libby Riddles
They work together traversing nearly 1000 miles of brutal conditions across the frozen landscapes of the Alaskan tundra. Author Matt Geiger shares the story of Wisconsin native, Libby Riddles, the first woman to win this world-renowned race.
Who is the father of the Iditarod and why is he called that?
Redington became known as the “Father of the Iditarod” for his work promoting the race, and personally competed in seventeen Iditarods from 1974 to 1997, but never placed higher than his 5th-place finish at age 72. He was the honorary musher in the 1997 race, as he was 80 years old when he completed the race.
Who won the most Iditarod races?
Record holders
| Musher | Year(s) | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Rick Swenson | 1977-79-81-82-91 | Most Times Won (5) |
| Lance Mackey | 2007-08-09-10 | Most Consecutive Wins (4) |
| Mary Shields | 1974 | First Woman to Finish |
| Libby Riddles | 1985 | First Woman to Win |
Who was the Red Lantern given to?
Iditarod
The Red Lantern is an award given to the Iditarod’s last place finisher. The tradition dates back to 1953, when the first red lantern was given as a joke at the Fur Rendezvous Race in Anchorage. The award was eventually passed on to the Iditarod when the race began in 1973.
What does the word Iditarod mean?
distant place
It means distant place.” James Kari, Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Native Language Center in 1979 stated: “The name Iditarod came from an Ingalik and Holikachuk word hidedhod for the Iditarod River. This name means distant or distant place.
Who is the only five time winner of the Iditarod?
Rick Swenson
Rick Swenson is the only five time winner of “The Last Great Race”, having won in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1991. He is now the only person to win the Iditarod in three different decades, a record that will probably never be broken.