Читать книгу Racing Toward Recovery. The Extraordinary Story of Alaska Musher Mike Williams Sr. онлайн

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When Mike announced that he was going to carry signatures of Alaskans pledging sobriety along the trail to Nome during the Iditarod I was really proud of him. I knew Mike had made a big change in his life.

I think that the Iditarod can be a platform for more than a single year’s race. It is an opportunity to connect with people everywhere. You can squander it or use it. Mike used it and built it so that he became known as the musher for sobriety. Doing well and being out there is admired in his culture, too.

Dog mushing and the Iditarod are so loved and respected in the villages. The people respect that you are regularly taking on the challenge of the thousand miles of the Iditarod. They understand the weather, the elements, and how hard it can be to be out there. The fact that you are in first place or fiftieth place, they don’t care. They respect that you, that Mike, is tough enough to stay with it. Mike has been using his platform in the Iditarod to build something for his people.

Over the years Mike and I have done training runs together. I have been in Akiak and he has been in Willow. I spent the night at their house. Our families are close.