1925 Serum Run to Nome

The 1925 serum run to Nome, also called the Great Race of Mercy, was a relay in January and February 1925 in which about 20 dog sled teams carried diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles (1,085 km) from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, in about 127.5 hours. It brought help to a town of about 1,430 people threatened by a diphtheria outbreak, and it made the lead dogs Togo and Balto famous. The relay is commemorated by a statue of Balto in New York’s Central Park and is one of the inspirations of the Iditarod [1][2].

The Outbreak

In January 1925 Dr. Curtis Welch, Nome’s only doctor, worked with four nurses as diphtheria spread. The hospital’s antitoxin had expired and a replacement could not arrive by ship before the port froze. The first diagnosed case was a 3-year-old boy in mid-January, and a 7-year-old girl died a day later; four children had died before diagnosis. Nome had about 1,430 residents, 455 of them Alaska Natives, and Welch estimated at least 100 unreported cases in Native camps. The official toll was 5, 6 or 7 deaths [1].

Finding the Antitoxin

Welch requested 1 million units of antitoxin. On January 26, 300,000 units were found at a hospital in Anchorage and shipped by train to Nenana, arriving the next day. The package weighed just over 20 pounds. A larger shipment of 1.1 million units from Seattle reached Alaska on February 7, but an attempt to fly it failed on February 9 and was scrapped [1].

The Relay

The serum traveled from Nenana to Nome over 674 miles in about 127.5 hours, or 5.5 days, using about 20 mushers and about 150 dogs. Wild Bill Shannon began the relay on January 27 at 9 p.m. in about −50 °F and reached Minto at −62 °F. Charlie Evans’s two lead dogs died of frostbite [1].

Leonhard Seppala and Togo

Leonhard Seppala and the lead dog Togo covered the most distance, 261 miles in total, including 91 miles with the serum. Togo’s team also crossed Norton Sound [1].

Gunnar Kaasen and Balto

Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto ran the final leg, 53 miles by the route table, and reached Nome at 5:30 a.m. on February 2. Balto’s role has been debated, and Seppala claimed that Kaasen’s lead dog was named Fox [1].

Memorials

A statue of Balto was unveiled in Central Park, New York City, on December 15, 1925, and a second statue stands in Anchorage. Balto died on March 14, 1933, aged 14. Togo was euthanized on December 5, 1929, aged 16, and is displayed at the Iditarod headquarters museum in Wasilla [1].

Legacy and the Iditarod

The Iditarod honors Leonhard Seppala as an honorary musher and has honored survivors of the 1925 outbreak, including Jirdes Winther Baxter in 2005. The Iditarod Trail Committee notes that Seppala’s team carried serum from Nenana to Nome and cites the relay as a parallel to the spirit of the race [1][2]. A 1975 reenactment took about twice as long as the original [1].

Why It Matters

The serum run is remembered as an example of community effort in extreme conditions and of the importance of sled dogs to Alaskan life before aircraft and snowmachines became common [1][2].

Mushers and Conditions

About 20 mushers and 150 dogs covered the 674 miles between January 27 and February 2, in blizzard conditions. The first musher, Bill Shannon, set out around 9 p.m. on January 27 as temperatures fell to −62 °F (−52 °C); three of his dogs died and he suffered severe facial frostbite. On average each musher covered about 31 miles [4]. Many of the drivers were Athabaskan and Alaska Native mushers who knew the trail, and Mental Floss notes that they covered roughly two-thirds of the distance yet were largely overlooked by the press at the time [4].

Crossing Norton Sound

Seppala and Togo crossed the 42-mile stretch of ice on Norton Sound, which broke up only hours later, a shortcut that saved time but carried great risk. Henry Ivanoff flagged Seppala down near Shaktoolik to hand over the serum, and Seppala then pressed on toward Golovin [4]. Togo led the team over 261 miles in all, the longest and most dangerous part of the relay, while Balto ran about 55 miles [3]. Togo was 12 years old at the time, having been born on October 17, 1913 [3].

Kaasen and the Final Leg

Gunnar Kaasen took over the serum and reached Nome around 5:30 a.m. on February 2, after about five and a half days, faster than the previous nine-day record for the route. On the way a gust overturned his sled and buried the package in snow, and he searched for it bare-handed, suffering frostbite. Kaasen credited Balto: “It was Balto who led the way” [4].

Aftermath and Second Delivery

Officials had resisted sending a second batch by air, and a plane planned for February 7 could not fly because of mechanical problems in subzero temperatures. A second delivery reached Nome by dog sled on February 15, with Ed Rohn completing the final leg [4]. Official figures list five or six deaths and about 70 recorded cases, although Dr. Welch believed the true toll was higher [4].

Fame, Debate and Remembrance

Balto received far more public fame than Togo, and Seppala himself called Balto a “scrub dog.” Some claimed that another dog, Fox, was the real lead dog, and the press reportedly found the name confusing [4]. After touring on vaudeville, Balto’s team was sold to a Los Angeles dime museum until Cleveland businessman George Kimble raised ,000 to rescue them, and Balto is preserved at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History [4]. Togo toured in 1926, was awarded a medal by Roald Amundsen, lived out his life in Maine and died in 1929; his mounted skin is at the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla and his skeleton is at Yale’s Peabody Museum [3][4]. Seppala later said, “Togo was the best dog that ever traveled the Alaska trail” [3]. A statue of Togo was placed in Seward Park in 2001, and TIME named him history’s most heroic animal in 2011 [4].

In Popular Culture

Four films have been made about the story: Balto’s Race to Nome (1925, now lost), Balto (1995), Togo (2019) and The Great Alaskan Race (2019) [4].

FAQs

What was the 1925 serum run? A relay of about 20 dog teams that carried diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles from Nenana to Nome in January and February 1925.

How long did the serum run take? About 127.5 hours, or roughly 5.5 days.

Who was Balto? The lead dog of Gunnar Kaasen’s team, which ran the final leg into Nome.

Who was Togo? Leonhard Seppala’s lead dog, whose team covered the longest distance in the relay.

How is the serum run related to the Iditarod? The race honors the relay and cites it as a parallel to its spirit, though the race follows a different historic trail.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: 1925 serum run to Nome
2. Iditarod Trail Committee: Iditarod Race History
3. National Park Service: Togo
4. Mental Floss: 1925 Nome serum run facts and history

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue