Dr. Phil Schobert Executive Director All Alaska Sweepstakes

Celebrate the 2008 All Alaska Sweepstakes with us!
On March 26th, 2008, Nome and the dog mushing world will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the first major long distance sled dog race in the world. With the centennial re-run of the All Alaska Sweepstakes Race—a distance of 408 miles—we will once again experience the excitement of the early history of the gold rush era in Alaska.

In 1907, the Nome Kennel Club was organized and in 1908 they organized the Alaska Sweepstakes Race. The Race, born out of a need to relieve the doldrums of the long Alaska winters for the early gold miners of Nome, naturally included the winter land transportation mode of the era, sled dog teams. Dogs and drivers went in pursuit of the dominance of the trail passing through places like Council, Death Valley, Camp Haven, First Chance and Gold Run on their way to Candle and return. A massive purse awaited the winner. Copious amounts of money were wagered in Nome on each team and there was tremendous pressure as word was passed along telephone lines for each entrant to win. However, winning did not mean pulling out all the stops and going for broke, but employing the use of great strategy and special care to get their dogs through some of the roughest and most inhospitable, yet beautiful landscape in Alaska.

From those early races have come most of the basic rules for present-day long distance or, for that matter, all sled dog racing; thus, all sled dog racing is intrinsically tied to the Sweepstakes Race, and we have put together a staff of Race judges and veterinarians from all the major races in Alaska and across the country which, in itself, celebrates the impact this “granddaddy of them all” has had. To celebrate, the Nome Kennel Club will offer $100,000, the richest first place purse in sled dog racing history. History is a big part of the celebration and we are adhering to historical detail of the era right down to the awards celebration meal, which in itself will be interesting and exciting!

Some of you have stood behind a dog team and experienced the rigors of what Mother Nature has to offer; but also the satisfaction of the team effort between dogs and driver and what the serenity of the solitude of being on the trail brings. Some of you gave your talents—and your hearts—to bring dog sled racing back to center stage in the sporting world. In this, we are all family and we invite you to come to Nome to the party—to a reunion with old friends and to make this a celebration to remember.

If you are planning to come to Nome, the Race start is March 26th, 2008 at 10:00 AM. The record run, in 1910, was made by John “Iron Man” Johnson at 74hrs.14.min.37sec. We anticipate the first finisher to arrive back in Nome sometime on Saturday, March 29th, or Sunday, March 30th. The Award Celebration is planned for Tuesday April 1st. Any, or all of those days are sure to be full of fun and excitement. If you are planning to come, and we hope you do, or if while you are here you would like to help with some activity, please call us at 907-443-5550 or respond via mail, P.O. Box 1290, Nome, AK 99762 You may also e-mail the Asst. Director at lisaschobert@juno.com . Hotels and B & B’s are at a premium so let us know soon. Our housing coordinator is Sari Haugen at the Nome Visitors Center. She may be reached at 907-443-6624 to obtain more information. Her email address is tourinfo@ci.nome.ak.us .

We hope to see you there!

Dr. Phil Schobert
Executive Director
All Alaska Sweepstakes