Students Race the Iditarod, Win Beer

It was just like the Iditarod­­­—minus the dogs, the subzero temperatures, and the international acclaim.

On a warm March day, five human teams tied to wooden sleighs and 1,049 ounces of beer greeted t-shirt sporting spectators outside the Science Center for the first annual human dogsled race.

Sponsored by the Alaska Klub (yes, it’s club with a K), the journey measured 1,049 feet around the Science Center Quad, mimicking the slightly longer 1,049 miles of the actual Iditarod. Corey M. Rennell ’07, co-head of the Alaska Klub and also a Crimson editor, wielded a megaphone and shouted encouragement to the Cribbage, Mountaineering, Radcliffe Rugby, Outing, and Men’s Rugby teams as they prepared for the race.

Each team sported climbing harnesses tied to home-made sleds, each of which was mounted by one anxious-looking comrade. Judith Palfrey, co-master of Adams House, counted down to “Alaska one” and sounded the horn. The contenders raced off, dragging their sleds and riders along the pavement. As soon as they rounded the first bend of the loop, it became apparent that five sleds would not fit on one track. From the melee of string, wood, and limbs the Men’s Rugby team—self-titled The Scrum Machine—emerged, trailed closely by the Mountaineering Club.

The crowd went wild.

“This is the best example of college I’ve ever seen,” said Zachary A Corker ’04, special assistant to the dean for social programming. The Alaska Klub board would be pleased.

“There’s not enough random, hilarious action here on campus,” said Olivia H. Gage ’07, the Klub’s social chair.

Alaska Klub Co-Heads Rennell and Leif E. Fenno ’07 say they hope to “bring some frontier spirit” to Harvard. Post-victory, the Men’s Rugby Team had another frontier to face—the first-prize hangover that would be inevitable after consuming their spoils, 1049 ounces of beer.