(Narrator) 

The Iditarod is 1,200 miles of brutality.

At times racers can barely see a few feet in front of them.  

For musher Rachel Scodoris those times last from start to finish.

Rachael is legally blind.

(Rachael)

Sled dog racing...it throws every imaginable situation and 
emotion at you in surprisingly short amounts of time.  

I mean one second you can be on top of the world having a great run and 
then one thing can happen and you think, “Why am I here? This is so ridiculous. I think I’m going to cry now.”  

I knew for sure I wanted to get into it when I was eight years old 
when one of my dad’s former dog partners came to visit and said when I was 18 we would run the Iditarod together. 

I’ve spent years preparing for Iditarod. 

I started racing at 11. I had to run track and cross country in school every year 
to stay in shape and keep my grades fairly up and when I was finally eligible age wise I had to go out and qualify.  

The record is 8 days, 22 hours, and 40 minutes. 

We average about 120 miles a day.  

Between September first and March first we put over 2,000 miles on each dog in training.  

These dogs love to run. That’s why they do it. That’s why we do it.  

When we are out on the trail, they are my friends and my teammates.

When I’m home, they’re my family.

I’ve learned to never give up on a teammate.

I’ve been so exhausted out on the trail that I just want to call it good, lie down and say forget it. 
But then the dogs are so eager to keep going. 

I’ve actually cried out on the trail because the dogs were so amazing when I was so tired. 

(Interviewer)

Can you talk about what you see or don’t see and how you compensate for that?

(Rachael)

I can see my dogs.

I can’t really see the trail.

Sometimes I can see a marker, but that’s why I run with a partner.

(Interviewer)

and how… was it hard to get used to that 
or is it hard to do that in an Iditarod situation?

(Rachael)

I can’t say it was hard to get used to cause it has always been this way.

And every Iditarod situation is hard whether it’s bad vision or what.  

That’s why mental toughness is so important. 

To know that even when the worst of things are happening you can work through it.  

(Interviewer)

I would have to assume that you are pretty damn mentally tough.

(Rachael)

I’d like to think I am. 

I get a lot of letters from parents and kids congratulating me and a lot of parents say thank you 
for getting my kid interested in school through the Iditarod curriculum.  

So that definitely makes us feel good but I’m really just out here playing with my dogs.

(Music Playing)