The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod

by Gary Paulsen.

Gary Paulsen was in his forties, an internationally famous children’s writer. Then he was overtaken by his passion – a passion for Alaskan dog-racing and a passion for the wild, beautiful landscape of the Arctic. Winterdance is the story of this passion.

Award-winning author Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod, a gruelling 1180-mile race across Alaska, in dangerous ignorance and with fierce determination. After a spectacularly inept period of training and an even more spectacularly inept start to the race, Paulsen and his team of 15 dogs ran for 17 days through the beautiful, treacherous arctic terrain. They crossed the barren moon-like landscape of the Alaskan interior and witnessed sunrises that cast a golden blaze over the vast waters of the Bering Sea. Enduring blinding wind, snowstorms, dogfights, frostbite, moose attacks, sleep deprivation and hallucinations, he pushed on.

It is a powerful, almost unbelievable adventure, told with humour, pathos, vitality and excitement. Beautiful, funny and laconic, it is a book about men and dogs and their souls. This book recounts his adventure.

‘An unputdownable celebration of the human spirit’ Sunday Express.

Buy Winterdance: Fine Madness of Alaskan Dog-racing from Amazon