Published: June 28, 2008 11:43 pm            

Iditarod studied

• Aichele gives presentation about Alaskan Iditarod for Rotary members

Running 100 miles a day? Who? The answer is a team of dogs. The animals continue that pace for approximately 11 days, covering 1,100 miles in the snow in Alaska, every year. There is a mystery here, i.e., the stamina of the dogs. At rest a dog’s metabolic makeup is very much like that of a human. A human cannot equal the individual dog’s continuing strength. A man (or woman) would have collapsed long before the dog did.

It’s the Alaskan Iditarod that takes place every spring, a race beginning in Anchorage and ending in Nome. No explanation for the name of the race, as the word is not found in older dictionaries and encyclopedias. It is a sled race over a designated trail where rest stops are located at intervals. The animals may be given a rest of four to six hours, fed, watered and sleep, when there are no dog fights. If a dog seems ill or unable to continue the race (an unusual occurrence) a call is made to headquarters to send a small aircraft to take the animal to a veterinarian. Standing at the rear of the team on a sled urging the team on is a driver. He is in charge.

The story of the Iditarod was told to the Stillwater Rotary Club by Dr. Doug Aichele, a mathematics professor at Oklahoma State University. Aichele was an observer of the 2008 race, with his cohort Dr. Mike Davis, a professor in the OSU School of Veterinary Science. The two were there to take a turn at looking into the mystery of the dogs’ amazing metabolic system. The animal’s metabolic system reacts to exercise the same as a human’s metabolic system does, until the animal reaches what would be an exhausting level, then something strange happens. After running eight to 10 hours, “they throw a switch,” Aichele said, and they are obviously comfortable with running, and do not collapse as a human might.

Aichele described himself as an outdoorsman who relaxes in his spare time by climbing 14,000 foot mountains. “I have climbed over 40 of the 54 Fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 feet.” He told also of his natural love of dogs.

Aichele and Davis had submitted a grant proposal to the American Kennel Society to study the dog’s “switch” that allows him to continue running while other beings could not do so. Upon approval of the grant, the two men flew to Alaska to begin their study.

Aichele described the beginning of the race in Anchorage as a great celebration. The city is alive with many visitors; a large number of teams and drivers have drawn lots as to their time of starting.

Each team is saluted as it passes through downtown Anchorage.

An atmosphere like that of a circus parade or honoring a hero prevails. The air is filled with the sound of dogs barking, anxious to begin the race. Teams begin the run to Willow Lake, the first check point. Actually, the start of the race begins at Willow Lake, not in Anchorage. There are 24 check points where the dogs and the driver take a rest. The dogs’ paws are treated with salve. Each wears “booties” and care taken to see that their paws are not injured in any way.

Each team pays an entrance fee of $4k. The winner of the race leaves Nome with a bank account $59K higher. There are, of course, other “winners” who take home a stated sum for their part in the exercise. The dogs, mostly of Siberian Husky blood, have been bred by kennel owners who specialize in that species of dog. Lines of bred dogs are a part of the “business” and come at good prices. Aichele told of blue-eyed dogs. “I have even seen dogs with one blue eye and one brown eye,” he said.

Aichele said his purpose and that of the veterinarian was strictly business with a medical situation not yet explained. They hope to determine if there can be a kind of blood serum that will determine whether or not a dog is capable of running the 1,100-mile Iditarod. It is a tremendous, almost unworldly, endurance effort. What will their conclusions tell us – about humans, as well?

        

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