MUSH MADNESS: ROSEMARY WOZNIAK TAKES A LOOK AT IDITAROD VETERAN ALIY ZIRKLE

Aliy Zirkle

Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog are very familiar with my sister Rosemary’s contributions as Glitternight.com’s official Iditarod Correspondent. Rosemary is a sort of good will ambassador for that annual event in Alaska and here she is with her latest piece – a look at female musher Aliy Zirkle: Official Balladeer’s Blog nickname – “Absolute Zero” to match her initials. Take it away, Rosemary!

Here we are in below-freezing temperatures with several inches of snow in Northern Virginia. The mushers participating in the 42nd Iditarod Race which had its official start two days ago in Willow Alaska were concerned because of their warm temperatures. It was in the fifties there which tends to make the trail run fast for the mushers and the sled dogs.

As I mentioned on my Facebook Page, a woman has not won the Iditarod since 1990. I am hoping that this year one of the women mushers will win. I am going to write about one of the women mushers each day starting with today until there is a winner.

I will start with one of my two favorite veteran women mushers…Aliy Zirkle.

According to Aliy’s official biography on the Iditarod website, http://iditarod.com/race/2014/mushers/115-Aliy-Zirkle/ – Aliy, 44, was born in New Hampshire. She spent her childhood in New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, and Missouri. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Biology and came to Alaska in 1990. She’s lived in Two Rivers for the last 16 years and says she “enjoys the community and the surrounding wild lands.”

Aliy lists her occupation as “dog musher” and has finished the Iditarod 12 times.
Hope everyone takes a look at the history behind the race and I hope you will come to love and enjoy it as much as I do.

Special thanks to Rosemary, who will be contributing a few more Iditarod items as the race continues! 

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