"Race" Report: Running of the Reindeer

The past week Anchorage has been bustling with lots of events connected to Fur Rondy, which has been rightly called the best winter carnival in the world. Fur Rondy's origins are in the even-more-frontier days of Alaska and the swap meets of trappers, but now it is an almost-two week long festival that includes such activities as yukigassen tournaments, outhouse races, hockey games, snow sculpture contests, a Miners and Trappers Ball that glorifies facial hair, and of course the start of the Iditarod and the Running of the Reindeer.

Mark's work gave him passes to the Exxon hospitality suite, so we were able to watch the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday morning while keeping toasty warm and stuffing our faces with pastries, mini quiches, salmon canapes and, in my case, drinking copious amounts of coffee. We watched a number of teams begin their epic trek toward Nome.

Pastries and Cake

Jamaican Musher Newton Marshall

Musher DeeDee Jonrowe and her team

I have to say eating on an oil company's dime and watching the dogs and mushers made me feel slightly like a real Alaskan. Standing outside in the cold for an hour waiting for the start of the Running of the Reindeer, however, proved to me that I have a long way to go. The Running of the Reindeer has been billed as Anchorage's take on Pamplona's Running of the Bulls. It is a super festive and fun event. Most runners don costumes -- some of them very elaborate. Since I was unprepared my costume barely counts as one. I wore my peacock tights and put a few feather clips in my hair.

The runners get a head start to run a snowy couple of blocks in downtown Anchorage before reindeer are released to join the runners. Since the runners and then the reindeer are released in herds, it meant a lot of standing in the cold. However, an impromptu snowball fight broke out which provided some entertainment and distraction from the fact that my skin was turning the color of my tights. The race is a great fundraiser for Toys for Tots and I got to stop in the middle of my short run to pet a reindeer. How awesome is that?

Petting a reindeer! I'm in the blue top. 

I can definitely tell you next year I will be wearing a warmer costume, though. Maybe Mark and I will go as Han Solo and Chewbacca. I'm calling dibs on the Chewy Costume.