Who is the father of the iditarod and why is he called that

Joe Redigton

Explanation:

Joe is an an American kennel owner and dog Musher. He is known as " Father of Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It is a long distance dog race run that is held annually from the Anchoragd area to Nome, Alaska. It began n 1973 to test the best sled dog mushers, later it evolved into a competitive race. The teams race under sub zero temperatures.