LOCKWOOD - Alaska is known for its IDITAROD race but Lockwood School has something very comparable, the annual IKIDAROD. Friday we found out winning the IKIDAROD is no easy race.

Seventh graders at Lockwood Middle School are all competing to be top dog. "It's pretty intense because we want to take first, but there's a lot of hard working teams out there," said rear dog Austin Wild.

Tempers can flare on this more than one and a quarter mile dog sled course. "It's pretty tough we have to go over hills and bumps," said rear dog Melissa Nelson. "You have to work together to get where you want," said lead dog Alex Zacher.

Teams are made up of lead dogs, rear dogs, and mushers, but students say of the three, one is critical. "The lead dog because they've got to make sure we're keeping a steady pace," said Wild.

The students all agree the giant hill is the toughest part of the course, but when asked what makes a championship IKIDAROD team they all seem to think it's a combination of several things. "You have to make sure you have a good musher and have a good team and they don't quit until the finish," said Wild.

"Fast people and people who have a lot of energy," said Nelson. "People who would help other people when they get tangled up. People that wouldn't start whining if they're behind," said Zacher.

One things for sure these kids are definitely exhausted. When asked what went through their minds when they thought they were almost finished, "Thank god," said Wild.

This year's championship IKIDAROD team is Team Blizzards with a time of 25:45.