1
On Wednesday, March 20, 1985, at 9:00 a.m., Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod is a dog-pulling sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Riddles checked into Safety, the last checkpoint before the finish line, many hours ahead of the other racers. She traveled with a thirteen-dog team through blizzards. It took her 18 days, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds, winning her $50,000. Riddles put the Iditarod on the map with her storybook win. The next three Iditarods were also won by a woman, Susan Butcher, who in 1987 set a record-breaking time of 11 days, 2 hours, and 5 minutes.
2
The trail first began as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik, to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, and Ruby, and to the west coast communities including Unalakleet, White Mountain, and Nome. In 1925, part of the trail became the route for transporting emergency medical supplies to Nome, which was stricken by diphtheria.
3
There were two short races on parts of the trail in 1967 and 1969. The annual race to Nome was first run officially in 1973. Called the "Last Great Race on Earth," the Iditarod follows the Knik to Nome dogsled mail and supply route of 1910.
4
The race consists of teams of twelve to sixteen dogs pulling a sled driven by a man or woman, called a "musher." The trail involves treacherous climbs through the rugged Alaskan wilderness. The race lasts for eight to twenty days in subzero temperatures, much of it in darkness and blinding winds. The musher might be able to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. This is the most "daylight" seen in some arctic regions and northern plains.
5
The route is alternated every other year. The 1,112-mile northern route, run in even years, has twenty-six checkpoints. The 1,131-mile southern route, run in odd years, has twenty-seven checkpoints. The Iditarod begins on the first Saturday in March. Since 1983, teams have left the start line in downtown Anchorage at the corner of 4th and "D" Streets, many aiming just to complete the race. Congress named the original Iditarod Trail a National Historic Trail in 1976.
6
The current journey along the National Millennium Trail takes the mushers over mountains (the Kuskokwim and Alaska ranges), through dense forests and across frozen rivers (the Yukon for 150 miles), the Norton Sound pack ice, and desolate tundra. Mount McKinley (or "Denali," meaning "The High One" in the native Athapascan language), located in the Alaska Range, is North America's highest peak at 20,320 feet. Glaciers are also a unique part of Alaska's topography.
image bab857cac08d4ba1ab2a16948809675b
"Mush! Mush! First Woman Wins Iditarod" from The Memory Project. In the public domain.
Select the TWO sentences that BEST explain why the author refers to Riddles’s win as a “storybook win.”
A.
On Wednesday, March 20, 198, at 9:00 a.m., Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ®, the dog-pulling sled race form Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.
B.
Riddles checked into Safety, the last checkpoint before the finish line, many hours ahead of her nearest competitor.
C.
She raced with a thirteen-dog team through debilitating blizzards in 18 days, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds, and won $50,000.
D.
Riddles put the Iditarod on th emap with her storybook win and her photo on the magazine covers and fron tpages of many newspapers.
E.
The next three Iditarods also were won by a woman, Susan Butcher, who in 1987, had a then record-breaking time of 11 days, 2 hours, and 5 minutes.
1 answer
The two sentences that BEST explain why the author refers to Riddles’s win as a “storybook win” are:
B. Riddles checked into Safety, the last checkpoint before the finish line, many hours ahead of her nearest competitor.
D. Riddles put the Iditarod on the map with her storybook win and her photo on the magazine covers and front pages of many newspapers.
These sentences highlight the dramatic nature of her victory and the significant impact it had on the Iditarod's recognition, contributing to the idea of a “storybook” narrative.
