Susan Butcher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Butcher
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Susan Butcher and dogs in 1997, speaking to tourists aboard a Riverboat Discovery cruise from her kennels near Fairbanks International Airport
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| Born | December 26, 1954 |
| Died | August 5, 2006 (aged 51) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Sled dog racing |
Susan Howlet Butcher (born December 26, 1954 – died August 5, 2006) was a famous American dog musher. A musher is someone who drives a dog sled. Susan was the second woman ever to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1986. She also became the second person to win the race four times by 1990. What's even more amazing is that she was the first person to win four out of five races in a row! People in Alaska remember her achievements every year on Susan Butcher Day.
Contents
Susan's Early Life and Amazing Career
Susan Butcher was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From a young age, she loved dogs and being outdoors. She went to the Warehouse Cooperative School and later studied at Colorado State University. She became a veterinary technician, which means she helped animal doctors.
To follow her passion for dog sled racing and raising huskies, Susan moved to the Wrangell Mountains area in Alaska. There, she started training for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This race is super tough! It's about 1,112 to 1,131 miles long, going through the wild Alaskan wilderness. Mushers and their dogs face freezing arctic conditions and even blizzards. The race can last one to two weeks, testing how strong and tough everyone is.
Susan worked for two years with Joe Redington, who started the Iditarod race. In exchange for her work, she received dogs to build her own racing team. In 1979, Susan, Joe Redington, Ray Genet, and two others made history. They were the first people to climb Denali, North America's highest peak, using dog sleds!
Challenges and Triumphs in the Iditarod
Susan had placed well in several Iditarod races. But in 1985, she faced a big challenge. She had to stop racing early because a wild moose attacked her team. Two of her dogs were killed, and thirteen others were hurt, even though Susan tried hard to scare the moose away. That year, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod.
But Susan, with her experience, came back strong! She won the very next race in 1986. Then, she won again in 1987, 1988, and 1990. This made her one of the greatest mushers ever. She joined other four-time winners like Martin Buser, Jeff King, Lance Mackey, and Doug Swingley. Later, Dallas Seavey and Rick Swenson even won five times.
On September 2, 1985, Susan married David Monson, who was also a dog racer. They had two daughters named Tekla and Chisana.
Susan held the record for the fastest Iditarod finish from 1986 until 1992. She even broke her own records in 1987 and 1990! She also set speed records in other races, including the Norton Sound 250, Kobuk 220, Kuskokwim 300, and the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. She stopped competing in 1995.
Her amazing achievements brought her a lot of attention in the late 1980s. She received many awards, such as the "National Women's Sports Foundation Amateur Athlete of The Year Award." She also won the "U.S. Victor Award" for "Female Athlete of the Year" two years in a row. In 1988, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. In 2007, Susan was honored by being one of the first five people inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.
Susan's Illness and Lasting Legacy
On December 2, 2005, Susan was diagnosed with a serious illness called acute myelogenous leukemia. This is a type of cancer that affects the blood. She had been showing signs of a blood problem three years earlier. She received chemotherapy treatment at the University of Washington. After the cancer went into remission (meaning it seemed to go away), she had a bone marrow transplant on May 17, 2006. Her husband, David Monson, famously said, "someone said this might be a tough disease, but this leukemia hasn't met Susan Butcher yet."
Sadly, Susan Butcher passed away on August 5, 2006. She had been fighting a complication called graft-versus-host disease and learned that her cancer had returned.
On March 1, 2008, the State of Alaska honored Susan Butcher. Just before the start of the 2008 Iditarod, Governor Sarah Palin signed a law. This law made the first Saturday of every March "Susan Butcher Day." This special day happens at the same time as the traditional start of the Iditarod each year. The law noted that observing this day gives people a chance to "remember the life of Susan Butcher, an inspiration to Alaskans and to millions around the world."
Images for kids
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Susan Butcher and her dogs in 1997.
See also
In Spanish: Susan Butcher para niños
