NPR

Blair Braverman And Her 'Ugly Dogs' Prepare For Her First Iditarod

The rookie musher and her team of rockstar racers, with their own social media following, face heavy snow, freezing temperatures and 938 miles of Alaskan wilderness.
Rookie musher Blair Braverman and her dogs will compete in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, traveling more than 900 miles across Alaska from Anchorage to Nome and facing subzero temperatures and challenging trails.

You know LeBron, Serena and Messi.

But do you know Pepe, Flame and Jenga?

They're another kind of super athlete on a one-name basis with fans — sled dogs preparing for the Iditarod.

Blair Braverman, the team's musher, will take her team out for the very first time when the race starts Saturday, braving some 938 miles of trail across Alaska, from Anchorage to Nome.

It's a grueling race that took the last winner nine-and-a-half days to complete, with unpredictable conditions,," three near-vertical drops early in the course, just one of the many possible pitfalls for mushers trying not to crash.

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