This was for the What A Woman contest |
Libby Riddles was the first woman to ever win the Iditarod, a grueling sled dog race over 1,000 miles. The odds were against her. She came into Shaktoolik in the middle of a blinding blizzard. The person behind her told her that she was crazy, if it was anything like what he just came out of, it would be impossible. That made up her mind. She set out with her dog team into a blizzard, across the dangerous sea ice. She would run until she almost lost sight of the trail marker behind her, but no farther because she did not want to loose it. Then she would stop her team, and stumble blindly forwards until she found the next marker, then she would go back, get her team, go until she almost lost sight of the new marker, she continued in this pattern all night, until she reached Koyuk, the next checkpoint, marking the end of the horrible sea ice. It worked. She was first into Koyuk. She continued, and surprised everyone by being first into Safety, the last checkpoint before the finish. She came into Nome, the finish, first, making her the first woman to win the Iditarod. She should be an inspiration to women everywhere, showing that women are fearless, and we can do everything, if not more, than men can. |