JUNEAU, ALASKA ¨C Dee Dee Jonrowe, who will start the grueling Iditarod sled-dog race through Alaska¡¯s wilderness for the 34th time this year, has long been known as a survivor, having endured a deadly car crash, cancer, frostbite and numerous injuries on the trail.
But her reputation for resolve has taken on fresh meaning with this year¡¯s nearly 1,000-mile (1,600 km) test of endurance, which comes just months after a wildfire destroyed her home in the town of Willow and the kennel where she housed her dog team.
¡°This is the hardest year I¡¯ve ever had ¡ª I mean the hardest,¡± she said before setting out on Sunday from Willow, the official starting point of the Iditarod. ¡°I lost everything. I¡¯ve done a lot of crying this last year.¡±
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