It's impossible to talk (or even think) about The Iditarod, "The Last Great Race," without thinking of Susan Butcher. It was she who got me interested in the Iditarod, when I first heard her story in 1986. She ran in nine Iditarods before winning, and then won four out of five. She was an amazing person, and there is now a monument to her out on the trail. This video gives you a feeling for her specialness.
