IT HAS been called the Last Great Race on Earth and Ross man Edward de la Billiere is out there with a team of dogs battling 20mph winds blowing at a bitter minus 60 degrees.
Edward is on the Iditarod Trail, a gruelling endurance test across the frozen wastes of Alaska by dog sled.
It is wolf country, and he and the dogs have had to live off hunting moose and caribou. By Friday his last position was 171 miles off the finishing point, Nome Alaska on the frozen Barent Sea, having already covered 980 miles. On Friday he was reckoned to be in 59th position out of the 81 entrants – only six Britons have ever completed the race.
Ahead still lay frozen tundra, mountains and rivers, although by Monday or Tuesday of this week if all was going well he should have been nearing the finish.
Starting the race with 20 dogs he was now down to 11 – many dogs are withdrawn from the race for various reasons and are given exceptional veterinary care.
He has had to give the dogs the highest level of attention at all times. He has had to break trails through deep snow for them, run along beside them and haul them out of frozen rivers.
The Iditarod Challenge was first held in 1973 and is now an annual event testing the historical partnership and notion that man's best friend is his dog.
Edward, the son of Sir Peter de la Billiere who led British forces during the Gulf War, intends to give a talk on his experiences at the Royal Geographical Society HQ, 1 Kensington Gore, London on May 23, with the proceeds going to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.
If you want tickets for his talk and video record call Virginia Bond on 020 7463 9260.