Rachael Scdoris
Encyclopedia
Rachael Scdoris is an America
n dog musher
and cross country runner
who in 2006 became the first legally blind person to complete the 1,049+ mile (1,600 km
) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state
of Alaska
.
Scdoris had her best result in the 2009 Iditarod, taking the Southern route for the first time. Visually guided by Tim Osmar, making his first re-entry into the race since a catastrophic ankle injury incurred while protecting his home from a wildfire in 2007, Scdoris came in 45th, beating her previous best of 57th.
, an uncorrectable visual disorder. Her vision
is 20/200, and she is totally color blind.
In 1997, Scdoris competed her first dog sled race, and placed 4th in the Frog Lake Race, and later won several local short-distance races. In 2001, she competed in the 500 mile (805 km
) International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race, and became the first legally blind person and the youngest musher to complete an event of that distance. Rachael carried the Olympic Torch for the 2002 Winter Games.
In 2003, the Iditarod Trail Committee approved her request under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
for special accommodations to compete in the much longer and more rigorous Iditarod. Scdoris completed the qualifying races in 2004, placing 11th in the 350-mile (563 km) Race to the Sky in Montana
, and 6th in the 400-mile (644 km) John Beargrease
Mid-Distance Marathon in Minnesota
.
On March 5 she started the 2005 Iditarod in Anchorage, Alaska, with "visual interpreter" Paul Ellering, who warned her of trail conditions by radio
or shouting. The two-way radios broke several times during the race during crashes, which are relatively common especially among rookies. "I had a nice little encounter with a tree... the tree won". She eventually had to quit the race because her dogs showed signs of sickness.
In the 2006 Iditarod
, Rachael Scdoris fell asleep while mushing and became separated from Tim Osmar, her visual guide. She awoke in a place that had no tracks from other dog teams, which meant that her dogs had no scent to follow. Scdoris guided her team over jumble ice
and open leads into the Koyuk checkpoint:
"Scdoris said she had fallen asleep on the sled, as many mushers do, and veered off the trail.
'It was so flat and so early in the morning, it was hard not to doze,' Scdoris said. 'I woke up in jumbled ice and no other dog tracks.'
As it turned out, Scdoris was close enough to Koyuk to make out the lights of the village and guide her dog team there."
- Jeannette J. Lee, Associated Press, March 19, 2006
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n dog musher
Mushing
Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land...
and cross country runner
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
who in 2006 became the first legally blind person to complete the 1,049+ mile (1,600 km
1 E6 m
To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths starting at 106 m .Distances shorter than 106 metres-Conversions:1 megametre is equal to:* 1 E+6 m * approximately 621.37 miles...
) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Scdoris had her best result in the 2009 Iditarod, taking the Southern route for the first time. Visually guided by Tim Osmar, making his first re-entry into the race since a catastrophic ankle injury incurred while protecting his home from a wildfire in 2007, Scdoris came in 45th, beating her previous best of 57th.
Biography
Scdoris was born with congenital achromatopsiaAchromatopsia
Achromatopsia , is a medical syndrome that exhibits symptoms relating to at least five separate individual disorders. Although the term may refer to acquired disorders such as color agnosia and cerebral achromatopsia, it typically refers to an autosomal recessive congenital color vision disorder,...
, an uncorrectable visual disorder. Her vision
Visual perception
Visual perception is the ability to interpret information and surroundings from the effects of visible light reaching the eye. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision...
is 20/200, and she is totally color blind.
In 1997, Scdoris competed her first dog sled race, and placed 4th in the Frog Lake Race, and later won several local short-distance races. In 2001, she competed in the 500 mile (805 km
1 E5 m
A length of 100 kilometers , as a rough amount, is relatively common in measurements on Earth and for some astronomical objects.It is the altitude at which the FAI defines spaceflight to begin....
) International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race, and became the first legally blind person and the youngest musher to complete an event of that distance. Rachael carried the Olympic Torch for the 2002 Winter Games.
In 2003, the Iditarod Trail Committee approved her request under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
for special accommodations to compete in the much longer and more rigorous Iditarod. Scdoris completed the qualifying races in 2004, placing 11th in the 350-mile (563 km) Race to the Sky in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, and 6th in the 400-mile (644 km) John Beargrease
John Beargrease
John Beargrease, born 1858 as the son of a minor Anishinaabe chief by the name of Makwabimidem , is best remembered as the winter mail carrier between Two Harbors, Minnesota and Grand Marais, Minnesota during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. John used a row boat and a dog sled to...
Mid-Distance Marathon in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
On March 5 she started the 2005 Iditarod in Anchorage, Alaska, with "visual interpreter" Paul Ellering, who warned her of trail conditions by radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
or shouting. The two-way radios broke several times during the race during crashes, which are relatively common especially among rookies. "I had a nice little encounter with a tree... the tree won". She eventually had to quit the race because her dogs showed signs of sickness.
In the 2006 Iditarod
2006 Iditarod
The ceremonial start of the 34th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state of Alaska began amidst the crowds of Anchorage on March 4, 2006, and the start of the competitive race, or "restart", began the next day in Willow...
, Rachael Scdoris fell asleep while mushing and became separated from Tim Osmar, her visual guide. She awoke in a place that had no tracks from other dog teams, which meant that her dogs had no scent to follow. Scdoris guided her team over jumble ice
Jumble ice
Jumble ice is a phenomenon that occurs when ice atop a river or other flowing body of water fractures due to the different flow rates beneath the ice. On a lake, pond, or other stationary body of water, ice forms undisturbed and generally does not move as long as the entire surface of the body of...
and open leads into the Koyuk checkpoint:
"Scdoris said she had fallen asleep on the sled, as many mushers do, and veered off the trail.
'It was so flat and so early in the morning, it was hard not to doze,' Scdoris said. 'I woke up in jumbled ice and no other dog tracks.'
As it turned out, Scdoris was close enough to Koyuk to make out the lights of the village and guide her dog team there."
- Jeannette J. Lee, Associated Press, March 19, 2006
Surname
Scdoris is descended from people named Sedoris, but somehow a typo crept into the official spelling of the name.Further reading
- Scdoris, Rachael; Steber, Rick. (2006). No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-35273-5. (hardcover version)
- Steber, Rick; Scdoris, Rachael. (2004). No End in Sight: The Rachael Scdoris Story. Two Star. ISBN 0-945134-34-7. (paperback version)
External links
- www.rachaelmushing.com Rachael Scdoris's official site
- Current position from the Official Iditarod site