Movie Review: The Great Alaskan Race

The story has been told before. Hollywood has made its spin on the heroic story of the Serum Run several times over the past 90 years. Each time it has been deemed as not dramatic enough as is, and they add to the story. Each time Balto, the dog who would lead the final team on the final leg into Nome, is the named canine hero - and Gunar the heroic human.

This time the independent film with a nationwide release takes a greater look at the Serum Run canine hero Togo and his human Leonhard Seppala. This is typically not the route the story tellers go. After all, it was Balto who ran the AntiToxin Serum down "front street", but it was Togo who ran the furthest distance. Only true historians and mushing enthusiasts even seem to know the name Togo, so it was no surprise that the child I went to this movie with was confused when "Sep" kept talking about his awesome lead dog Togo.

The film starts with the note that the film is "Based on the True Story". This is Hollywood Speak for "yeah we didn't find the story compelling enough without embellishing". If you're a history buff, the "warning" can make you cringe because you expect the worst. The movie does change Seppala's story a bit with becoming a widower early in life and being angry at the world for it. It feels like they felt they needed to humanize a man that is more legend in history than human. The pacing of the film as they bring this emotional part of the story to light goes a little slow, but works to establish what motivates the film's hero.

Playing Leonhard Seppala is Brian Presley, who also wrote, directed and produced the film. He looks a little like Stephen Amell (Arrow) with the mountain man appearance. Presley's take on Seppala is as a romantic turned hard due to the loss of his wife. He grumbles, seems angry all the time, and runs head strong into danger. The one constant is his love and loyalty to his dog Togo and his daughter whom he has to save from the Diphtheria outbreak.

The movie does not fully go into the history of the dogs in the relay and the danger they faced. They do make mention of the storm and how dangerous negative temps can be, but we don't see a whole lot of the struggle the teams faced other than Seppala shivering in the cold and his face getting frostbite sores. The film only shows one child passing, but doesn't fully grasp the full impact. While there was the drama of getting the serum in time, it sometimes was lost as the film continued to focus on Seppala's grief (most of his flashbacks involve his late wife).

If you're worried about seeing trauma or death to the dogs - none of that is shown. Togo becomes tired and needs to rest in the sled but it's split second, blink and you miss it. There isn't anything that should trigger emotion based on the dogs - until the end when the real dogs are tributed through historic footage and photography. I dare any dog or mushing enthusiast not to have a sense of pride for what these four legged athletes accomplished. Working dogs are incredible.

The most positive part of the film is the spotlight brought to Togo and Seppala. Sitting with a 10 year old movie goer, she was very confused at the beginning when the focus was on a dog named Togo. After several questions of "but where is Balto" I finally leaned over and said he comes in only at the end. She was emotionally invested in the plight of the children - and was quite upset when one of them died - and cheered as the team ran into Nome (I did manage to point out that Balto was leading). When the film ends with some factoids about the dogs and mentions the Balto having a statue in New York City's Central Park, my young friend got on her soapbox and declared it completely unfair that Togo did not get the honor considering how far Togo traveled.

The film is supposed to be about the amazing feat that the teams of sled dogs accomplished in saving the town of Nome, but a lot is focused on Seppala's grief. A lot of the politics of the event were also rushed through. It would have been interesting to meet some of the other players, they did give a couple of the mushers a few lines - and some great musher attitude - but the film bounced quickly back to Seppala's plight as a father and widower. One of the more interesting parts of the story was the governor's battle over who was going to get the serum to Nome: the dogs or an airplane. The Governor of Alaska makes mention of "the lower 48" not understanding how Alaska works, while the pro-airplane guy (the news paper editor? I couldn't figure it out) kept saying that Alaska was the laughing stock of the world because they wouldn't fly planes.

Creative license is always the right of the storyteller, and while I may have done it differently, Presley's film hits the mark in most ways. The mispronunciations of Alaskan towns and villages will give Alaskans a chuckle, but will be lost on those not familiar. The historical inaccuracies are mainly ones that have been around for decades - and probably existed as history was unfolding. One fact that needs pointing out is the film claiming that the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is run each year to commemorate the Serum Run - while this "fact" is often shared, it is not true. Official News of the Last Great Race detailed the history of the start of the race in a recent article to clear up confusion.

The film is a good matinee, and one worthy of the big screen. It has a nationwide release in the states with a hope to expand into Canada judging by their comments on social media. If nothing else it's a good excuse for a trip to get movie popcorn, but I feel most movie goers will be happy with the film. I hope this review doesn't come off sounding too down on the film, because I did enjoy the movie for what it was.

Have you seen The Great Alaskan Race? Tell me what you thought in the comments below.

Serum Run film partners with Iditarod Trail race

In a press release shared this afternoon, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race announced it was partnering with P12 Films to bring the company's film "The Great Alaskan Race" to theaters with a nation-wide release this fall. The film is a retelling of the real life story of the 1925 Serum Run to Nome that made Balto the husky a household name. "The Great Alaskan Race" will follow Leonhard Seppala, Togo and Balto as they brave the Alaskan trails to bring the antitoxin back to Nome to save the village children.

P12 has also partnered with the premiere long distance stage stop race in the Lower 48, the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. They have also partnered with Iditarod finisher Rick Casillo's charity Battle Dawgs that supports US Veterans as they navigate life after war.

“On behalf of the Iditarod Board of Directors, mushers, volunteers, and the entire “Iditarod Nation” – we would like to extend our thanks to P12 Films”, said Rob Urbach, CEO of the Iditarod Trail Committee. “We believe our partnership with P12 will help advance awareness about one of the greatest athletes on the planet, and our ongoing commitment raise awareness about the standards of animal welfare that exist in our event and our culture.”

Director/Writer/Producer Brian Presley (who is CEO and Founder of P12 and also stars in the film) said that partnering with the Iditarod was a "no brainer." Citing Iditarod's continued work and research to improve the care of dogs as a main factor in the partnership, Presley stated, "We at P12 Films wanted to provide a new platform for them to voice that mission to a more general audience.”

The film premieres October 25, 2019 in at least 500 markets across the country including the city where the Iditarod begins - Anchorage, AK. There are plans to have a private screening at UAA prior to the premiere, and Iditarod promises to share the details of other events soon.



Do you plan to see the movie? Have you seen the trailer? What are your thoughts on this latest partnership? Comment below!

Iditarod FAQ - 2012 edition - Part 1

It's been a couple years since the last one of these. I still get asked a lot of the basics, but I want to try and make it more concise. To see the original, go here. This is a replay of some of those, but also some new tidbits.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (the official full title of "The Iditarod") began when a group of mushers - led by Joe Reddington, Sr. - decided to "save the sled dog." With the introduction of airplanes and snowmachines/four wheelers to the state of Alaska, the jobs that were originally given to dog teams were going to the newer technologies. Reddington and his band of buddies were concerned that the lifestyle they loved would disappear forever. Reddington worked tirelessly to begin the world's first long distance sled dog race into existance.



DeeDee Jonrowe's dog "Crush" at
the start of the 2012 Tustumena 200.

The Alaskan Sled Dog is a hearty, but small, breed of dog. There are no strict guidelines into what goes into the breed, nor is there a breeding standard. What makes a sled dog a sled dog is their desire and willingness to pull and run with a team. The Alaskan Malamute is the closest we have to a "standard breed" of sled dog. They are related to the Native Sled Dogs that are basically the starting point for all sled dogs. The best way to describe the racing dog today is: mutt. They are typically 50lbs to 60lbs, are incredibly hyper and high strung, and come in all colors. You will never see an Alaskan Husky in the dog shows like Westminster, they aren't always the prettiest of dog, and - again - there is no standard to the breed. People are typically surprised at the smallness of the dogs - hollywood typically uses Malamutes or Siberian Huskies to portray these amazing athletes in film, because they look better. The dogs look like your typical running athlete, they are thin (but incredibly healthy and well fed), and have thinner/shorter coats than their ancestors. Because they are running hard, the extra fur is not desirable - and mushers have to be sure to care for their team with the proper gear (dogs wear dog coats so that when they aren't running in the sub-zero temperatures they retain their heat). They are bred to keep the pack mentality instinct, and they are loyal and trusting of their mushers.

In 1973, Reddington's dream became a reality when the first Iditarod Sled Dog Race was held. It began the first weekend of March, and followed part of the historic Iditarod Trail and had long ago been used by trappers, goldminers and later the mail route (run by sled dogs). The race runs, mainly, along the same trail as the historic teams ran, but does not complete the entire trail. While Anchorage is the start of the race, Mile 0 of the Iditarod trail is actually in Seward, Alaska. To this day, the only Iditarod team to have traveled from Seward to Nome is 2004 Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey's team when he ran his team from Seward the days before the start of the race in 2001.

In the early years, the race began in Anchorage's Tozier Track and travelled all the way to Nome. However, with the ever growing city's expantion in the late 70s and 80s, the race holds two starts; the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage (from 4th Avenue downtown to the Campbell Airstrip), and the restart at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla. With Wasilla's growth and expansion, however, in the late 90s the restart was relocated to Willow where it starts from currently. Safety of the teams is first priority and with the growing vehicle traffic in the former cities, Willow was the best solution.

In 2003, due to a lack of snow in the South Central region, the race took a drasticly different route. It was the only year that Fairbanks hosted the start of the race. The teams took another historic route before connecting back to the Iditarod Trail. The race followed, basically, for the first and only time the famed Serum Run route to Nome. The Serum Run happened in 1925 when there was a Diptheria epedemic in Nome and the surrounding villages. Due to extreme weather, the newer technologies of transportation were unable to get the medicine the town so desperately needed. Teams of sled dogs planned a relay to get the medicine to Nome. A train transported the medication as far as Nenana where it was taken by dog sled. It took about six days to get to Nome, and the weather was horrendous. The average temperature was forty below zero, and the wind was so strong it was able to knock over dogs and sleds alike!

Leonhard Seppala & his lead dog Togo.
Togo is the official mascot of the Iditarod Race.

Most famous of the Serum Run was Balto and his musher Gunner. They were the ones that led the medicine into Nome. A little less known - but most heroic - of the story was Togo and Leonhard Seppala. Seppala was the most well known musher of his day - think of him as the Jeff King (considered the "Most winningest musher in history") of his day. He understood the urgency and need for the medication when several others thought more of their lives and their dogs. Seppala and his team, led by Togo, made most of the journey when several mushers backed out. About 80 miles out from Nome, Seppala could go no further. He and his team were exhausted. He had Gunner take a second string of dogs into the city with the medicine. Balto and Gunner weren't exactly rookies to the job, but they were virtual unknowns until their historic finish. They would overshadow Togo and Seppala in the history books, but Togo - not Balto - is the official mascot of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Togo and Balto were both stuffed after death. Balto resides at the Smithsonian, while Togo stands proudly at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters in Wasilla. (By the way, Togo and Seppala not only ran the medicine towards Nome, they ran the trail to go meet up and get the medicine from the previous musher. Over 200 miles over some of the most difficult terrain.)



The Iditarod Sled Dog Race has two trails along the Yukon River, and alternates each year between the two. The Northern Route is run in the even years, and the Southern Route in the odd years. It's said that of the two, the Southern is more difficult because the wind generally comes at your face. The decision to have seperate courses was to allow more of the interior villages the chance to be featured and celebrate the race. The addition of the Southern route also allowed the race to go through the old gold rush town of Iditarod (now a "ghosttown" where only one structure somewhat remains). Iditarod is an Alaska Native word that means "A Great Distance." Iditarod (and Cripple for the Northern route) marks the halfway point of the race, and the first musher to make it into the checkpoint is rewarded with a plaque and $3000 in gold nuggets.

Because of the nature of the trail, and the fact that most of it is only put in for the purpose of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race (as well as the Iron Dog Snowmachine Race and the Iditarod Bike & Run), mileage differs slightly from race to race. The official mileage is 1,049miles (the 49 is a nod to Alaska's being the 49th state) but is normally closer to 1,200 miles when all is said and done. In 2012 it was decided that a major change to the race will occur. For only the second time, the Happy River Steps - feared by Rookies and intimidating to even the most seasoned veterans - will not be part of the race. A new trail was forged for a project in the area, and since its abandonment earlier this year the Iditarod Race Officials have glomped onto it. The reason cited is for the safety of the mushers and their dogs, which is the races' top priority. This change could be permanent.

Check back soon for part two of the series.