Today marks the official start of the Iditarod, the annual 1,000-mile sled dog race across Alaska. As the trail cuts across the Norton Sound to Nome, it traces the path of another race 100 years ago…the 1925 Serum Run or Great Race of Mercy. The eyes of the world were all on Nome when an outbreak of diphtheria threatened the lives of the villagers, especially children. Only sled dog teams were able to come to the rescue and deliver life-saving medicine over 600 miles of treacherous ice, in blinding snow, and in temperatures below 85?F.?
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Our namesake, Togo, was the lead sled dog for the longest and most treacherous leg of this relay. When his ironman musher Leonhard Seppala collapsed on the sled near the end us their nearly 300-mile run (check) over uncharted territory and twice over the Norton Sound, Togo on his own led his team to the checkpoint to pass on the medicine to the next relay racer. Seppala thought he had failed and all was lost, but Togo had another story to tell. He ran with pure instinct, valor, and heart???, seeming to know the job he had to do and the lives that were at stake.
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Today, when we know lives are at stake and we have the medicine and means to help, let's all be like Togo...fearless, committed, and ready to run our Great Race of Mercy in 2025.
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This year, to honor the centennial of the 1925 Great Race of Mercy, we are asking those who can to donate to The Ukraine Children's Health Project. Check out their great work here and stay tuned to learn more.
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https://lnkd.in/edgbcSfZ
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