Alpine Outfitters

Race Across Alaska - First woman to win the Iditarod tells her story

Race Across Alaska - First woman to win the Iditarod tells her story - Main image
$10.98 $21.95 In stock

By Libby Riddles andn Tim Jones

Explores the history of the trail and celebrated the frontiersmen and their dogs who braved its dangers.

Born in Wisconsin, Libby Riddles was 16 when she moved to Alaska in 1972. After working at various odd jobs and becoming involved in sled dog racing, in 1985 she entered the "Iditarod," a grueling sled-dog marathon on the Iditarod Trail from Anchorage to Nome. Nineteen days and 1200 miles later, she emerged from a raging blizzard and crossed the finish line to become the first woman to win this race.

This fast-paced description of her bout against both the elements and veteran competitors generates electrical excitement. Former newspaper editor Jones (the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal, among others) contributes short background articles covering trail history, fabric booties that protect the dogs' feet, checkpoint procedures, etc.

There are 11 black-and-white photos and maps at the beginning of each chapter showing Riddles's daily position.

Customer Reviews (5.0 / 5 · 2 reviews)

Brian Z. ★★★★★

The opening chapters on the trail's history and the frontiersmen who ran it had me hooked, but it's Libby's personal grit that really carries the book. I read the whole thing in two sittings, and now I'm looking up her original race footage.

Lucy ★★★★★

I picked this up for the history of the trail and the frontiersmen, and the first-woman angle drew me right in. The writing on the early dog drivers is gripping, and I finished it in two evenings.