PLS ANSWER NOW On Wednesday, March 20, 1985, at 9:00 a. m., Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race®, the dog–pulling sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Riddles checked into Safety, the last checkpoint before the finish line, many hours ahead of her nearest competitor. She raced with a thirteen–dog team through debilitating blizzards in 18 days, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds, and won $50,000. Riddles put the Iditarod on the map with her storybook win and her photo on the magazine covers and front pages of many newspapers. The next three Iditarods also were won by a woman, Susan Butcher, who in 1987, had a then record–breaking time of 11 days, 2 hours, and 5 minutes. The trail first began as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik; to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby, and beyond; and to the west coast communities including Unalakleet, White Mountain, and Nome. In 1925, part of the trail became the route for transporting emergency medical supplies to Nome, which was stricken by a diphtheria epidemic. There were two short races on parts of the trail in 1967 and 1969; the annual race to Nome was first run officially in 1973. Called the "Last Great Race on Earth," the Iditarod (pronounced eye–DIT–a–rod) to some extent follows the Knik to Nome Iditarod trail dogsled mail and supply route of 1910.The race consists of teams of twelve to sixteen dogs pulling a sled driven by a man or woman, called a "musher." The trail involves treacherous climbs through the rugged Alaskan wilderness, and the race lasts for eight to twenty days in subzero temperatures, much of it in darkness and blinding winds. The musher might be able to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis; this is the most "daylight" in some arctic regions and northern plains. The route is alternated every other year. The 1,112–mile northern route, run in even years, has twenty–six checkpoints. The 1,131–mile southern route, run in odd years, has twenty–seven checkpoints. The Iditarod begins on the first Saturday in March. Since 1983, teams have left the start line in downtown Anchorage at the corner of 4th and "D" streets, many aiming just to complete the race. Congress named the original Iditarod Trail a National Historic Trail in 1976. The current journey along the National Millennium Trail takes the mushers over mountains (the Kuskokwim and Alaska ranges), through dense forests, and across frozen rivers (the Yukon for 150 miles), the Norton Sound pack ice, and desolate tundra. Mount McKinley (or "Denali," meaning "The High One," in the native Athapascan language), located in the Alaska Range, is North America's highest peak at 20,320 feet. Glaciers are also a unique part of Alaska's topography. The challenges presented by these harsh conditions reflect Alaska's heritage of survival in the midst of wild, untamed nature. The Eskimos (native Indians of Alaska and other arctic regions) are part of this rich heritage and were conditioned to live on this tough land. Mushing dogsleds were their primary mode of transportation. Eskimos rely on many animals for their survival, including the walrus, seal, reindeer, whale, and polar bear. They use the entire animal — for food, clothing, and shelter...

Select two sentences that best reflect central ideas presented in the text.

A. The Iditarod race follows the 1910 dogsled mail and supply route to some extent and has been held annually since 1973.

B. Mushers in the Iditarod race must persevere against the challenging conditions of the harsh landscape and climate.

C. The Eskimos were known for organizing sled dog races in the same tough environment where the Iditarod race takes place today.

D. The Iditarod race follows the same route every year which goes from the beginning to the end of the original Iditarod trail.