Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race differ by less than . The northern route first passes through Cripple, which is from Anchorage, and from Nome (ITC, "Northern"), making it the middlemost checkpoint. From Cripple, the route passes through Sulatna Crossing to Ruby, on the Yukon River. Ruby is another former gold-rush town which became an Athabaskan village. The southern route first passes through the ghost town of Iditarod, which is the alternate halfway mark, at from Anchorage, and from Nome (ITC, "Southern"). From Iditarod the route goes through the three neighboring Athabaskan villages of Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling, and then on to Eagle Island, Alaska. Ruby and
Human Dog Sled Competition Human Dog Sled Competition The Human Dog Sled Competition is an event held in February during the Winterfest celebration of Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. Each year, a field of approximately 32 teams compete against each other in a double elimination tournament to determine the National Human Dog Sled Champion. The teams consist of six persons including four sled pullers, a sled rider, and a sled pusher. The sled race is approximately 50 meters long and takes place along a snow-covered street in downtown Lowell. Team members often dress in wacky costumes and there is a prize for the most creative of