The inspiration to run in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- "The Last Great Race on Earth"-- came to Angie Taggart, 36, of Ketchikan, Alaska, in 2001 when she was handling dogs for musher DeeDee Jonrowe. Taggart loved being outdoors and seeing the dogs travel across the beautiful land of Alaska. She and her team of dogs completed the grueling 1,131 mile course in 13 days 1 hour 49 minutes. The race, which kicked-off on March 11, gives competitors a mere 10-17 days to complete the mileage, which ranges from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome, located on the western Bering Sea Coast.
Taggart grew up in Ketchikan and, for several years, has been a second grade teacher at Houghtaling Elementary School. She was the first musher to represent Ketchikan -- her home and community -- in the Iditarod. But for the first two years of her teaching career, Pitka’s Point, a Yupik Eskimo village of approximately 100 people, was her home.
"My favorite part of being a teacher is teaching kids new things and learning new things from the kids," said Taggart, who applied for leave-without-pay in order to make time to train for the Iditarod. "I love teaching science, art and math."
The communities of Ketchikan and Southeast Alaska have been very supportive of Taggart, organizing and attended fundraisers for her benefit. Last year, her students took the initiative and placed dog jars for contributions around town.
Taggart compares her training to teaching. She loves to be with her dogs and do different types of runs, whether it's for mileage or time on the trail. Every experience teaches her something about the dogs, herself, or the terrain. The bitter cold (-48F) challenged Taggart in the 2009 Knik 200 race, but she learned from the experience of completing that race and was eager to race again. She finished 4th in her second race, the Taiga 300.
But preparing for the Iditarod was no easy task. In order to qualify, Taggart needed to complete 500 miles in sanctioned sled-dog races. Additionally, the dogs had to be cared for and trained on a daily basis, bags for the food drops had to be prepared containing extra food for her and the dogs, along with an organized strategy for the race to Nome. It was challenging to get everything accomplished. There were never enough hours in the day. But Taggart got it done.
Challenges Taggart faced during the race included staying warm and sleep deprivation. But she remained focused. Additionally, Taggart ran in the Iditarod to promote literacy, as well as demonstrate that dreams can come true.
"I am very passionate about all students being able to read," Taggart told StrengthUSA.com. "Not only should they be able to read, but they should have books that will entice them to read. I hope to inspire kids not only to follow their dreams but to become life-long readers."
