Trent Herbst of Ketchum, Idaho, drives his team down Fourth Avenue at the ceremonial start of the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday in Anchorage. (AP/Anchorage Daily News photo: Erik Hill)

A fourth grade teacher from Ketchum, Idaho is proving himself as a leader in the 2011 Iditarod race. Trent Herbst and his team of 14 dogs were in first place as they reached the halfway point of the race.  They were the first to arrive in the ghost town of Iditarod on Wednesday. When he arrived to the checkpoint, he was greeted with $3,000 in gold nuggets and was honored with the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award. Herbst is no stranger to the 1,150 mile race which takes mushers and their dogs through some of the roughest terrain in the world.  Last year, he placed 49th, and in 2009 he placed 48th.  He also competed in 2008 and 2006/Kelsey Jacobson, KTVB. More here.

Question: The Iditarod is a grueling contest of man & animal against the extreme Alaska weather. Do you pay much attention to the race?

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