by Sarah Hawkins
Local musher Paul Nelson and his eight Siberian huskies barrel towards
the finish line at the 2007 Midnight Run. His anticipation grows as he
realizes no one else is behind him to take away his prize. After five
attempts at this course, this musher will finally get the award – for
last place.
That’s right; dog sled racing is one of the few sports that honor the
one who finishes last. It’s called the Red Lantern Award, and the
recipients are proud to win it. “I came in second to last every time,
then last year, I finally won it,” says Nelson.
But the importance of the last musher has a longer history than just
the Red Lantern. According to former Nome, Alaska Mayor Leo Rasmussen,
using a lamp as a guide can date its origins back to when the men used
to have to hunt to keep their families alive. Before the men would
leave, a lantern would be lit in a window, and it wouldn’t be put out
until they returned safely.
During the days of sled dog freighting in Alaska, there were roadhouses
on the route to the mushers’ destination. When a team was on a trail,
a kerosene lamp would be hung outside the roadhouse to guide the way
for the mushers.
That same tradition is honored in the Iditarod today. At each check
point, the Widow’s lamp, as it’s now known today, is lit at the start
of the race and won’t be extinguished until the last musher comes in.
When it’s finally extinguished, it’s a sign for everyone that all the
mushers who were able to make it have made it. “I think it says a lot
about the sport because it celebrates everyone who finishes,” says
Nelson.
While the Widow’s Lamp is still used in the Iditarod, the more widely
used Red Lantern award for last place didn’t debut until the 1953 Fur
Rendezvous race in Anchorage Alaska. There are many different stories
about how the Red Lantern got its start.
Quite often it is confused with the Widow’s Lamp because of their
similarities, and many hear stories about it stemming from the red
lantern that hangs on the caboose of trains, but the most reliable
story is that it started as a joke. However, in the years since its
inception, it has become a symbol for persistence. That’s certainly
the case for the Red Lantern winners, who say it’s a testament to their
passion for the sport.
“I participate, I don’t compete,” said Nelson, and that’s probably true
of many of the mushers who will be in contention for the Red Lantern in
this year’s U.P. 200 events. The Red Lantern Award really is for the
mushers who participate in the sport because it’s what they love. That’s not to say the winner of the Red Lantern lacks the competitive
drive of the leading mushers. While winning the Red Lantern is an
honor, the race is still a sport no matter where the musher ranks.
“Most people are competitive enough to want to beat at least one
person,” says Nelson.
And for those who do finish the race at the back of the pack, it’s
still something to be proud of. People think the race is over once the
first musher comes in, but it’s not, says Rasmussen.
There will still be men and women on the trails, and one more award
that will proudly be accepted. “I finished the race, and I got
something,” said Nelson. “There’s people who don’t finish at all.”