Customer Reviews

Backstage Iditarod

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Do you follow the Iditarod dog sled race? Have you ever wondered just what it takes to get this race up and running each March? How much it costs a musher to race a team from Anchorage to Nome? How dogs are vetted, fed and cared for along the route?
Well, then, this is the book for you! What sets it apart from all other books about the Iditarod Dog Sled Race, is that it is a look at the race from the backstage area.
'Backstage Iditarod' looks at the racers, the dogs, and the whole staging of the Last Great Race. For those of us who live for the Iditarod each and every year, this is the book that tells us how the event is staged and run.
The book takes us not only through the history of the race, but also takes us to the Mushers Banquets both in Anchorage where the racers get their starting numbers, and in Nome for the finishers; to the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla; to the Ceremonial start in Anchorage; to the stops along the trial; to the end of the trail in Nome some 1,100 miles later.
This book tells about the Sign up Picnic, the race volunteers, Iditariders, the trail, and all aspects of the race as seen from the organizational side of the equation. It's a real behind the scenes look at what makes the Iditarod the Last Great Race on Earth.
Anybody who loves the Iditarod will profit immeasurably by this book. Plus June Prices' photographs are always a treat for the Iditarod afficianado.
For those who are just learning about the Iditarod, you'll love this book. It is the perfect book for learning all about the race and the people who are involved in all aspects of it from the festive start to the exciting finish.

Brian - Melanie Gould Fan

Imagine your best friend just returned home from a long vacation. She throws a log on the fire, pours you a glass of wine, and you each grab a corner in the couch. She then proceeds to tell you about her journey, in detail, practically everything you ever wanted to know. That's how this book reads, not like a "book" per say, more like an evening with a good friend. Author June Price explains the ins & outs of the race in detail. Answers questions you didn't even realize you were thinking about! She totally captures you. Makes me want to be there, to freeze my butt off with the best of them, the volunteers who help make this race possible. A great read!

In 1999, My wife and I went to the Iditarod start in Anchorage in our own attempt to get a glimpse of this historic race. Much of what we experienced, from the grandness of the event to hominess of most everyone involved is justly captured in this entertaining omnibus. For people like myself this book will bring back memories and explain curiosities while giving you a front row seat to the "Backstage".

We've done Anchorage...Backstage Iditarod has me thinking about Nome.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves dogs and dreams of a life as part of the pack. It will also discourage most of us from pursuing a dream of hopping on a sled and running from Anchorage to Nome, as it lays out in no uncertain terms how much work goes into running the Last Great Race. The Iditarod is a truly unique event--over 1000 miles through the rough terrain of an Alaska winter, and that's only if you can negotiate the training, preparation, packing, vet checks and qualifying races. Fans of any age and any level of experience with the race will enjoy this view from the inside. Even if you've never actually seen a sled dog race, you will be able to appreciate the down to earth approach of the author and the practical explanation of what is going on behind the scenes while the cameras are rolling out front. Running the Iditarod is not a two week event for the mushers, it is a year long super marathon that starts all over again for most of them shortly after they make the run with their team under the Burled Arch in Nome. If you're already a fan, you will appreciate the sport even more as you realize how dedicated the mushers are to their dogs and their way of life. If you're new to the sport, it's a great primer on the race, the racers and the controlled chaos that is the Iditarod.

One of the best books I've read on the race. I always wondered how they pull off this race every year - it has much to do with the hard work of the volunteers.

June Price does an excellent job of bringing you right there through it all.... if you really want to know what these mushers do, go through, and provide for their dogs, how much a part of the team they are, then read this book. It's a very well done account of the true happenings surrounding this great race. June has spent many years with these very people, researching, learning, and beautifully putting to paper, the extraordinary Iditarod, it's participants, and the dogs... Everyone who loves to gather more information about the inside of the race should put this on their MUST READ list. She takes you there, keeps you there, and gets you to the finish line... without even getting cold! :-) Thanks for a wonderful book, June.

This book is a fun read for those who have been to the Iditarod and those who wish they could go. Taking you thru all the steps leading up to the race, you'll think you are actually there. I've been to the race 3 times and helped a couple Iditarod mushers before the race. This book helps me relive those memories. I think you'll enjoy it very much!

This book is, quite simply, a "must have" for any fan of the Iditarod race, because it takes the reader step-by-step through that amazing annual dance of singular people and incredible sled dogs, patiently and thoroughly explaining the hows and whys, the whats and whens, and bringing the reader along on one wild ride all the way to the finish line under the burled arch in Nome!

What a joy to receive this book (one of the first out of the box) but I didn't even know about the REVIEWS. There were few surprises, but so nice to have on my coffee table for my friends to "read it all."
June writes well, keeps interest high and tells a detailed story of what's backstage.
Being in Anchorage is just a small part of the race and while exciting, all the details between Anchorage and Nome are breathtaking at times.
I applaud June for this wonderful book....a MUST HAVE !

This was a great background read for the preparations that go into the Iditarod. It's a fun and engaging read--even for long-time fans of the race. There's lots of interesting background info included. Thanks June!