Iditarod Adventures

In IDITAROD ADVENTURES, mushers explain why they have chosen this rugged lifestyle, what has kept them in long-distance mushing, and the experiences they have endured along that unforgiving trail between Anchorage and Nome.

Renowned sports writer Lew Freedman profiles 23 mushers—men, women, Natives, seasoned veterans, and some relatively new to the demanding sport, many of whom are so well-known in Alaska that fans refer to them only by their first names. The book also features interviews with administrators who organize the event and make sure it happens every year, volunteers, and others whose connection to the Iditarod is self-evident even if they don’t have an official title.

Author Biography

Lew Freedman is a veteran newspaper sportswriter and experienced author of more than seventy books. He spent seventeen years at the ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS in Alaska and wrote extensively about the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. He has also written several books about the Iditarod and had stories appear in ALASKA MAGAZINE and Alaska Airlines magazine.

Freedman has also worked for the CHICAGO TRIBUNE and PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. A frequent traveler to Alaska, Freedman believes the Iditarod is one of the world’s great sporting events and only wishes the dogs could talk so he could better write their story. www.LewFreedmanBooks.com

Jon Van Zyle has been the official artist of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for more than thirty years and has run the race twice. Jon’s art has garnered him numerous honors, and his prints, posters, and lithographs are prized by collectors. Jon and his wife live in Alaska, where they maintain a dog team of Siberian huskies. www.jonvanzyle.com