Wisconsin-born athlete. In 1985, Libby Riddles made history as the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 1, 1956, her family later moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where she grew up. Riddles moved as a teenager to Alaska, where she pursued the sport of dog sled racing. She entered in the Iditarod twice before winning: she placed 18th in 1980 and 20th in 1981. At 9:20 am on March 20, 1985, Riddles took first place after covering more than 1,150 miles of Alaskan terrain in 18 days, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds. She gained the lead by pushing her team of 13 dogs through a blizzard over 58 miles of Norton Sound with 40-knot winds to earn a record prize of $50,000.

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[Source: http://libbyriddles.com; Milwaukee Journal, March 21, 1985; Anchorage Daily News, March 21, 1985]