When blood flow in the arteries supplying the kidneys is completely blocked, the entire kidney or a portion of the kidney supplied by that artery dies (kidney infarction). Kidney infarction can lead to the inability of the kidneys to process and excrete the body's waste products (kidney failure). Blood vessel disorders of the kidneys have a number of causes, including blockages in the renal arteries or veins, inflammation of blood vessels , injury to the kidneys or blood vessels, and other disorders.
Iditarod veteran Kelly Maixner, of Big Lake, Alaska, leaves Nenana, Alaska on Monday, March 9, 2015. Nenana is the first checkpoint in the 2015 Iditarod and is about 60 river miles from the start in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Iditarod is a nearly 1,000-mile race that usually runs from Willow, Alaska to Nome, Alaska.
Both sections of trail are a part of the Iditarod National Historical Trail which was used in early years for all winter travel. Dog sleds delivered the mail, the preacher, the groceries, and hauled out gold and furs all the way to Anchorage or Fairbanks. During the early years of the Iditarod Race, the mushers only traveled the northern trail. After several years, the Iditarod Board of Directors realized that the smaller villages were being heavily impacted by the race coming through their village year after year. It was decided to use both sections of the trail. This decision had a three fold effect.