How are the dogs transported to and from races?
Mushers drive big pickups that have specially build boxes placed on the cargo bed. These boxes have individual kennels for the dogs, and usually also have considerable storage space for gear, equipment, and extra dog food. The sleds are secured to the top of the truck. Traveling long distances with the dogs is not a problem, but mushers have to allow for extra travel time because the dogs must be let out of their kennels every few hours to go to the bathroom and stretch. Mushers from the Lower 48 face a 3,000-mile drive to Alaska for the Iditarod. The trip usually takes three or four days. By the end of such a trip even the humans are ready to run a thousand miles!
