Lakeside hosts Iditarod veteran
By: Anastasia Scarborough
Published: October 17, 2011
Bill Borden is pictured with his dog team and his son, Jordan, during the Iditarod opening ceremonies. Borden and his 16 dogs competed in the 2002 Iditarod Race.
Imagine traveling from Orlando, Fla. to New York City in 20 below temperatures. All you have is a sled and 16 dogs. No one can touch your dogs and no one can help you.
That was the scenario Bill Borden described to Lakeside students last week. Borden, the first and only Georgian to complete Alaska’s famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race, visited the Lakeside School to show students the sled that took him over the 1,151 miles of the Iditarod trail from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. He also shared with them his incredible story of endurance, trust and faith.
Borden, a resident of Kennesaw, Ga. and a Kentucky native, competed in the Iditarod in 2002, becoming the 540th person to complete the trek. He told Lakeside students that the annual competition, which started in 1967, marks the United States’ 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia. The race takes competitors and their dogs over frozen tundra, lakes and rivers.
Borden’s 16 Alaskan huskies, led by lead dog Fisher King, were his sole companions during the trek and he told students that he literally trusted the dogs with his life.
“I pick my dogs in the way people should pick their friends,” he said. “The AKC (American Kennel Club) judges a dog based on its outward appearance. Mushers judge their dogs based on what’s inside.”
Loyalty and endurance were traits Borden considered when choosing his 16 teammates. He showed students his steel sled brake, bent by the power of his dogs.
“These dogs love to run. They aren’t working – they’re just having a good time. We simply harness their energy.”
The dogs proved to be as smart and loyal as they were strong on the journey, said Borden, describing how one of his wheel dogs, Lookout, stopped the team from toppling over a cliff near Mt. McKinley. And when Borden fell in freezing water near Ruby, Alaska, his dogs pulled him out.
Despite his stalwart dog team, Borden suffered a wrenched out back, a broken rib and a chipped kneecap during the race. He also endured little sleep, moose attacks and freezing temperatures, but finished the race in 14 days, 4 hours, 10 minutes and 14 seconds. He told students that finishing the race took more than resolve and a brave dog team – Borden says there were times that he knew God kept him and his team safe.
“There were times when I was alone, hurt, in the middle of nowhere. I was frustrated and I wanted to give up, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other,” he said.
Following Borden’s finish, he and his wife, Brenda, adopted out many of their dogs and returned to Georgia. Only two dogs that ran the race remain – Sidney, who lives in Alaska, and Tonto, 14, who lives with the Bordens.
To learn more about Borden and his story, visit www.cooldreams.net.
By: Anastasia Scarborough
Published: October 17, 2011
Bill Borden is pictured with his dog team and his son, Jordan, during the Iditarod opening ceremonies. Borden and his 16 dogs competed in the 2002 Iditarod Race.
Imagine traveling from Orlando, Fla. to New York City in 20 below temperatures. All you have is a sled and 16 dogs. No one can touch your dogs and no one can help you.
That was the scenario Bill Borden described to Lakeside students last week. Borden, the first and only Georgian to complete Alaska’s famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race, visited the Lakeside School to show students the sled that took him over the 1,151 miles of the Iditarod trail from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. He also shared with them his incredible story of endurance, trust and faith.
Borden, a resident of Kennesaw, Ga. and a Kentucky native, competed in the Iditarod in 2002, becoming the 540th person to complete the trek. He told Lakeside students that the annual competition, which started in 1967, marks the United States’ 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia. The race takes competitors and their dogs over frozen tundra, lakes and rivers.
Borden’s 16 Alaskan huskies, led by lead dog Fisher King, were his sole companions during the trek and he told students that he literally trusted the dogs with his life.
“I pick my dogs in the way people should pick their friends,” he said. “The AKC (American Kennel Club) judges a dog based on its outward appearance. Mushers judge their dogs based on what’s inside.”
Loyalty and endurance were traits Borden considered when choosing his 16 teammates. He showed students his steel sled brake, bent by the power of his dogs.
“These dogs love to run. They aren’t working – they’re just having a good time. We simply harness their energy.”
The dogs proved to be as smart and loyal as they were strong on the journey, said Borden, describing how one of his wheel dogs, Lookout, stopped the team from toppling over a cliff near Mt. McKinley. And when Borden fell in freezing water near Ruby, Alaska, his dogs pulled him out.
Despite his stalwart dog team, Borden suffered a wrenched out back, a broken rib and a chipped kneecap during the race. He also endured little sleep, moose attacks and freezing temperatures, but finished the race in 14 days, 4 hours, 10 minutes and 14 seconds. He told students that finishing the race took more than resolve and a brave dog team – Borden says there were times that he knew God kept him and his team safe.
“There were times when I was alone, hurt, in the middle of nowhere. I was frustrated and I wanted to give up, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other,” he said.
Following Borden’s finish, he and his wife, Brenda, adopted out many of their dogs and returned to Georgia. Only two dogs that ran the race remain – Sidney, who lives in Alaska, and Tonto, 14, who lives with the Bordens.
To learn more about Borden and his story, visit www.cooldreams.net.
Posts
