I've been following the Iditerod-The last Great Race on Earth. DeeDee Jonrowe, a musher that I met three years ago, is running her 30th race of 1,000 miles in minus 20 degree weather (chill factor -35) with hurricane force winds and white-out blizzards.
DeeDee, age 58 and a breast cancer survivor, is the foremost female dog musher in the world today. She has recorded the fastest time of any woman musher, and has come in the top ten 13 times. Today running against 65 other mushers, she is in 13th place with approximately 800 miles of snowy wilderness behind her and 200 miles yet to run to Nome.
The anual running of the Ititerod commerates the serum run of 1925, when antitoxin serum for a diphtheria epidemic in Nome was run by dog sled from Anchorage. The first race was run in 1973. Beginning in downtown Anchorage on the first Saturday in March, the mushers race 20 miles and because of modern traffic restart in Willow the following day. DeeDee has been on the sled runners or running behind her dogs for eight grueling days and nights.
Where does she get the determination to train her kennel of 70-100 dogs year round, the stamina to compete in the Ironwoman Triathalon and to run the Ititerod some 30 times?
DeeDee's faith in God is evident in her statment "God has blessed me with the health to once again travel through His most beautiful handiwork, experiencing a reflection of His unconditional love thru the bond I have with my team" (from her bio. at deedeejonrowe.com)
May we all dare to follow our dreams, have the determination to persevere when the going gets rough, and declare our Devotion to God who makes it all possible.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment