Wonder Woman of the Week: Susan Butcher
We've spotlighted several athletes on this channel, but this week's Wonder Woman is the first dog musher in the pack. (See what I did there?) Susan Butcher may have been born on the East Coast, but it was her West Coast exploits that put her on the map. After graduating from Colorado State University in veterinary science, Butcher wanted a chance at competing in the world famous Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska. For those uninitiated, the race pits athletes and their dogs against nature in a race over a thousand miles across Alaska in the dead of winter under harsh conditions. Many animal rights activists debate with race enthusiasts over whether the race should be cancelled all together due to weather conditions, but Butcher's veterinary experience made her a perfect candidate for competing in the race while making sure her dogs were well prepared and taken care of during the race.
Susan Butcher moved to Alaska to prepare her body for the grueling race and worked with the founder of the race to prepare her dogs for the run. Between 1978 and 1984, Butcher and her dogs slowly increased their finishing time to rise to a second place finish. In 1985 though, Butcher was competing in the race once again when a moose attacked her and her dogs. Two of the dogs died, and the other thirteen suffered intense injuries that- without Butcher's veterinary training- likely would have been fatal. When Butcher returned to the race in 1986, she and her dogs finally won the race. After that, Butcher took home first place three more times along with two more second place finishes and a third place finish before Butcher retired from competition in 1994. Butcher's successes broke down barriers opening opportunities for women to not only compete in dog mushing, but several other extreme sports. In 2005, Butcher was diagnosed with leukemia and died in 2008 at the age of 51. After her death, the state of Alaska named the first Saturday of March- the traditional start date for the annual Iditarod- as Susan Butcher Day.
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