Toughest Race on Earth: Iditarod

Refreshingly devoid of the phony drama and so-called “real” suspense of most reality-based TV series, Toughest Race on Earth: Iditarod is a riveting six-part Discovery Channel-aired miniseries capturing the 2008 start-to-finish running of the 36th annual Iditarod dog-sledding race from Anchorage to Nome, an arduous 1,150-mile trek involving (in this case) 96 mushers and their 10-to-16-member dog teams traversing some of Alaska's harshest wilderness. The series follows the two race leaders—reigning 2007 champion Lance Mackey and previous champion Jeff King—as they fight a cocky battle of wills with two very different approaches to racing strategy, plus other experienced or first-time racers, including breast-cancer survivor and tenacious competitor DeeDee Jonrowe, veteran musher Martin Buser and his son Rohn (an Iditarod rookie), and diabetic Rick Larson, another novice with an indomitable spirit. Chronicling an event that requires remarkable endurance, Toughest Race on Earth also serves up a genuinely engrossing study of human nature at its finest. DVD extras include the bonus Discovery Channel-aired documentary Expedition Alaska, in which three teams of explorers and environmentalists journey to some of Alaska's most remote frontiers to gather scientific evidence of global warming. Although the main miniseries and supplemental documentary tackle different subjects, both showcase the beauty of the Last Frontier State. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Shannon)