Same here. I did look up The Dark Crystal and it doesn’t ring any bells. In my little corner of the universe, the Iditarod is MUCH better known.
I’m gonna offer a slightly different excuse:
Yes, when I saw the question,I recognized the word,and thought to myself “dogsled race”.
But—If you just said it out loud, with no context, I think I would ask: “Huh? What did you say?”
It’s back there in my brain somewhere, but strictly as passive knowledge.
“Iditarod” is a word that I recognize when I see it, but don’t know how to pronounce, and have never used it or heard it used in conversation.
So if I was sitting there on the couch with your family playing Taboo that night, you’d just have to think of me as a visitor; one of your poorly-educated distant cousins, who you let join in 'cause you don’t want to insult him.
Sorry 'bout that. 
I thought so, too.
We are in the United States and are all from the United States
Yes, all from the United States.
I have heard it mentioned more than once on occasion but I never knew what it was.
Here’s another one who had to look up The Dark Crystal. But the Iditarod - sure, and I’m from the UK. I could even tell you, without looking, that one of the most successful mushers over the years (maybe *the *most?) was a woman. Can’t remember the name, though.
j
You’re thinking of Susan Butcher, who was the second woman to win it, and the second person to win it four times (after Rick Swenson, who has now won it a record five times). She was also the first person to win it in four out of five years. The first and only other woman to win it was Libby Riddles. I used to work with her brother.
Of course, the best thing to do at Rondy is the Running of the Reindeer!!
So, OP are you going to show your family this thread?
I showed my wife, who was one of the people who gave me blank stares.
She gets is, but didn’t have a huge response.
I have a few…signed by all mushers in the race that year…and a few more singularly signed.
Compliments of Paul (and Evey) Gebhart
Aliy Zirkle has been trying like hell to be the Third woman to win but she has had some very tough happenings the past few years…
On a side note, Newton Marshall - Wikipedia is a Jamaican musher who was sponsored by Jimmy Buffet and trained by my favorite musher of all times…Lance Mackey
small world…isn’t it?
She’s pretty tough and has come close three times. Deedee Jonrowe is a perennial participant and has also been runner-up several times. She once ran the race three weeks after completing chemo for breast cancer.
It just demonstrates how useless polls here are. I would bet that fewer than 10% of the U.S. population knows what the Iditarod is and probably fewer than 20% of members here actually know, yet 98% of us (so far) responded affirmatively to the poll.
I disagree. In my kids’ elementary school they talked about it, read book about it; it was a thing. The movie Balto is about the serum run which connects to the Iditarod. The actual race is shown on TV and in the papers and social media.
It doesn’t really surprise me that some folks don’t know about it, but I’d be shocked if the vast majority of adults didn’t know.
It’s a very romantic idea that captures the imagination of kids and adults alike.
I love threads like these because of comments like this one. I had no idea the Barkley Marathons existed till your post. Is it easier or harder than the Western States 100 or the Telescope to Badwater race?
For awhile, Susan Butcher had a bit of acclaim as a musher. (EDIT: As Chefguy noted in depth, upthread) At least I remember ESPN or Wide World of Sports jabbering about her when they were trying to find events to televise.
I’ve been to the Iditarod as a volunteer (helping with phones and data entry) and saw both the ceremonial and official start. It’s awesome. I also follow it online at iditarod.com .
Someone earlier said something about animal abuse: Nothing could be farther from the truth. If any musher is found (after due process) to have mistreated a dog in any way, the sanctions are severe, and could include being banned for life from dog racing. The dogs are checked by veterinarians before, during and after the race.
The dogs LOVE to run.
Yes, but then my mother raised Siberian Huskies. Hers were companion dogs, one of which won brood bitch at Westminster back in the 80’s. Sadly, it was after she sold her, so the new kennel got the credit.
Anyhoo, we used to schlep back and forth to a neighbor’s barn where he had a shortwave radio to hear updates on the Iditarod at all hours. Later we’d get updates on TV. It was a running joke that the race would never end if I was around to hear/see it. The winner always managed to cross the line while I was at school. or at work, or asleep, or some other thing. My mother almost never missed it, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. It’s been over a decade since I followed it though.
I’ve heard of the race, read a couple things about it here in there but I would not have remembered the name.
Of course, I haven’t lived in the States for several decades. There was nothing about it in Japanese media and I don’t follow Taiwanese media.