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Libby Riddles

Iditarod Dream

by Cathy Walters

03/06/2008

Iditarod Dreams

Can you solve this riddle? This "riddle" represented the state of Alaska at the inauguration of President Clinton in Washington, DC. In Las Vegas, this "riddle" received the Victor Award for Excellence in Sports. This "riddle" was also honored in New York City for her selection as the Professional Sportswoman of the Year. The Humanitarian Award for the best treatment of dogs was awarded to this "riddle," and her best canine friends won the Golden Harness Award. Have you solved this "riddle"? Of course, the answer is Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race in 1985.

Libby Riddles awed and inspired all those attending the 2008 session of the Iditarod Winter Conference for Teachers in Anchorage with not only the story of her race victory but also the story of her life. As a child Libby knew she wanted a life where she could live in the wilderness surrounded by animals. By the time she was sixteen her dream had become Alaska-the Last Frontier, a place of wide-open spaces and lots of animals. Libby had learned early how to set goals by working hard in her academics and athletics. Her goal was to go to Alaska. She finished two years of high school in six months and followed her dream.

After moving to Alaska, it didn't take Libby long to discover the sport of dog sled racing. After watching the Open World Championship Sled Dog Race, she fell in love with this sport that brought together her early passion for animals and the wilderness. She told us that "getting hooked on dog mushing was pretty easy," and she soon began collecting huskies that would be the "most likely to fail obedience school." After two years of working with her dogs, a friend suggested that she run a five-dog, five-mile sprint race. Libby and her dogs won that first race and her thoughts turned to running other races. She had a new dream: the Iditarod dream, and she began setting goals to move her towards running her first Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.

In 1980, Libby Riddles ran her first Iditarod, placing eighteenth out of sixty teams. She was the second rookie to finish this race in a year that the trail conditions were very bad. The race challenged her to do her best, and she began planning for her next attempt. Even though Libby was two days faster in 1981 she was further back in the pack. She decided to move to Teller in northwest Alaska, just above Nome, to train her dogs.

You may know the rest of Libby's story. She trained in this rural village with her dogs living on a mere two thousand dollars a year. Her house was heated with wood that she and her dogs collected-a house that did not have electricity or running water. When Libby could not find a sponsor to cover her costs to enter the 1985 race, the good people of Teller, seeing how hard she had worked over those three years, gave their bingo winnings to help her fulfill her dream. Libby Riddle's win at the 1985 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a story of dreams fulfilled by setting obtainable goals through hard work and the relationships that help us on our journey. As parents and teachers, let us use real life stories like Libby's to inspire and teach our children and students to set goals, work hard, build meaningful relationships, and never give up until they fulfill their dream. Read more about Libby in her books, Race Across Alaska and Storm Run.

Cathy Walters
Target® 2009 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^TM Finalist