Master Sgt. Rodney Whaley is heading north to Alaska in a truck
caravan, carting 16 dogs, a sled proudly bearing the colors of the Army
National Guard and state-of-the-art cold weather gear, for “the last
great race,†the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
He is the first person ever from Tennessee to compete in the historic race, according to officials.
For Whaley, a 56-year-old veteran with 24 years in the Guard, competing in the Iditarod is a lifelong dream come true.
“I grew up in Alaska, but that’s a long time ago now,†he said Wednesday with a laugh.
His boyhood runs in junior sled dog competitions instilled Whaley with
a lifelong passion for sled racing and dogs his wife Vicki said,
“borders on obsession.â€
For the past 25 years the couple have made Franklin their home. Now
they share that home with four sled dogs, two dachshunds and a
contraption Vicki likes to call “the big tricycle.â€
Read more at the Williamson Herald