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Flying Blind

By Donna Freedman/Anchorage

The Iditarod, A 1,100-MILE sled-dog race through Alaska's backcountry, draws many adventurers. This year, one of them could not even see the trail in front of her. Rachael Scdoris (sih-door-iss), 20, was born with achromatopsia (ay-kroh-muh-top-see-uh), which causes very poor eyesight. She is legally blind.

"I see only possibilities," says Scdoris, who at age 11 decided to race in the Iditarod. Her family owns a sled-dog tour company in Oregon.

Scdoris asked the race committee to let her run with a visual interpreter. This person would ride ahead and send back, by radio, information on hazards such as low-hanging tree branches. The interpreter would also keep an eye on Scdoris's 16-dog team.

Some people protested, saying a blind musher could not keep the dogs safe. But after some discussion, the committee ruled that an interpreter could go along on a separate dogsled.

Other than that, Scdoris was required to follow the same rules as the other 78 mushers in the race, which started on March 5 in Anchorage. "The primary goal is to have a safe race for all the athletes, especially the four-legged ones," says Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George.

Paul Ellering, Scdoris's interpreter and an Iditarod veteran, saw Scdoris take part in the John Beargrease, a 400-mile race in his home state of Minnesota. "I am confident that Rachael can take care of her dogs," says Ellering. "Disability is not inability." You can read more about Scdoris and the race's outcome at gorachaelgo.com and iditarod.com.

"Challenge yourself," Scdoris advises her admirers. "If you really feel passionately about something, you should pursue it, even if it's difficult."

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