Lisa Frederic's account of her experinces in the world of Alaskan Sled dog racing.

?Lisa Frederic was just your average Alaska fisherwoman when a vacation in Nome to see the burled-arch finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race changed her life forever. The mushers’ devotion to their dogs and the sheer grit required to complete the epic race lit a spark in Lisa. She started as a volunteer at checkpoints along the race, became an apprentice to Iditarod champion Jeff King, and, finally, mushed her own dog team in the world’s greatest sled dog race.Running with Champions is Lisa’s riveting account of her amazing journey, from head-bashing encounters with trees along the trails to the panic of losing control of a powerful team of dogs in the wilds of Alaska, all leading to her first attempt as a forty-something at the Big One: the 1,049-mile Iditarod. Lisa’s inspiring story speaks to everyone who has ever followed a dream and found that the dream realized is even bigger than the imagined one.

Map - 6IntroductionLearning Curves and a Long, Long Trail - 7Chapter 1Not Exactly Bluegrass Country - 9Chapter 2A Volunteer on the Iditarod Trail - 14Chapter 3Good Coffeebut Short Coffee Breaks - 20Chapter 4Bootie Duty and Other Chores - 31Chapter 5Return to the Emerald Isle - 40Chapter 6Back in the Dog Yard - 44Chapter 7More than Gee and Haw - 48Chapter 8The Puppies and I - 58Chapter 9300 Miles?in a Day or Two - 66Chapter 10Baby Blue Eyes - 74Chapter 11Adrift - 81Chapter 12The Christmas Bash - 88Chapter 13Ten Dogs, Ten Times - 99Chapter 14Still Just a Little Girl - 109Chapter 15Finally?the Iditarod Start - 124Chapter 16The Ring of Warnings - 129Chapter 17An Iditarod Twist - 134Chapter 18Chilling Advice - 139Chapter 19Alone and Yet Not - 148Chapter 20No, the Insane Part Isn’t Over Yet - 155Chapter 21A View from the Back - 163Chapter 22Iditarod Pion - 168Chapter 23Cold, Dark Trails to Ophir - 173Chapter 24Takotna to Cripple?the Long Way - 178Chapter 25Among the Best - 186Chapter 26The Wonder of Fine Company - 193Chapter 27Scent of the Sea - 198Chapter 28Possibilities - 205Chapter 29Wind - 209Chapter 30Final Steps - 218EpilogueLast Run - 222Postscript - 223About the Author – 224

?Lisa Frederic was just your average Alaska fisherwoman when a vacation in Nome to see the burled-arch finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race changed her life forever. The mushers’ devotion to their dogs and the sheer grit required to complete the epic race lit a spark in Lisa. She started as a volunteer at checkpoints along the race, became an apprentice to Iditarod champion Jeff King, and, finally, mushed her own dog team in the world’s greatest sled dog race. Running with Champions is Lisa’s riveting account of her amazing journey, from head-bashing encounters with trees along the trails to the panic of losing control of a powerful team of dogs in the wilds of Alaska, all leading to her first attempt as a forty-something at the Big One: the 1,049-mile Iditarod. Lisa’s inspiring story speaks to everyone who has ever followed a dream and found that the dream realized is even bigger than the imagined one.