-- Mushers and Their Sled Dog Teams Endure 1,150 miles of Unforgiving Alaskan Wilderness along the Iditarod Trail in Hopes of Making it Across the Finish Line --

SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept 19, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- Through dense forests, over
mountain ranges and across frozen rivers and isolated tundra in the wilds of
Alaska -- Discovery Channel was there to chronicle one of the most demanding
competitions in the world though the eyes of the men and women who dared to
take on the monumental challenge. TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD,
premiering Tuesday, October 14 at 10 PM ET/PT, follows mushers and their sled
dog teams across 1,150 miles of rugged terrain as they take on Mother
Nature -- and each other -- in The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

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The grueling competition from Anchorage to Nome puts the teams through the
ultimate test of human and animal teamwork and endurance. Mushers prepare all
year to ready not only themselves but also their team of 16 sled dogs -- elite
athletes in their own right. It is said that no animal on earth travels as
much ground as fast as an Iditarod sled dog. However, the harsh environment
and extreme concentration can take its toll on the teams, no matter how hard
they trained. Of the 96 dog mushers who started the 2008 Iditarod
competition, only 78 completed the race.

For TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD, Discovery Channel followed seven
mushers and their dog teams -- both race rookies and race legends. Some are
hoping to win while others are just hoping to finish. To scratch -- or drop
out of the competition -- would be devastating for any musher who has put
everything on the line for a chance to compete, including personal finances.

Mushers featured in Discovery Channel's new series include: Four-time
Iditarod winner and record-holder Martin Buser, Iditarod rookie Rick Holt,
pioneering musher and breast cancer survivor DeeDee Jonrowe, "winningest
musher in the world" Jeff King, two-time racer and diabetic Bruce Linton,
two-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey and race rookie Darin Nelson (for
additional information, please see "Musher Guide" document included in press
materials).

The Iditarod Trail is steeped in history. It was originally used as a
mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the
interior mining camps and eventually all he way to Nome. Mail and supplies
went in and gold came out -- all by dog sleds. Mushers became legends. In
1925, part of the trail became a life-saving highway. Mushers and their dog
teams were called upon to bring serum to epidemic-stricken Nome and save the
town from Diphtheria that had overtaken it. The Iditarod is a commemoration
of those brave and legendary mushers and their faithful dogs.

TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD is produced for Discovery Channel by
Original Productions. Thom Beers and Phillip Segal are executive producers
and Jeff Conroy is co-executive producer. For Discovery Channel, Paul Gasek
and Tim Pastore are executive producers.

For more information about TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD, please visit
discovery.com/iditarod. Log on to iditarod.com to visit the official race
website.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISAD, DISBD, DISCK) is the world's
No. 1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative
subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their
world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by
Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green,
Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and
educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital
media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please
visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

SOURCE Discovery Channel

http://www.discoverycommunications.com

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