This race was the first International/Intercontinental Sled Dog Race, conceived as a dream to further develop the union between the sistering cities of Nome & Providenyia. What came out of the hard work and planning was a 1,200 mile sled dog race between Nome, Alaska and Anadyr, USSR.

Today the race is a major effort of further commitment towards goodwill.

1991 was the first year of the HOPE race. The 1,200 mile course goes from Nome to Wales, Alaska where teams are then transported across the Bering Sea to Uelen (Whalen) and continue mushing along the coast of the Soviet Union, ending in Anadyr.

Twelve mushers from six countries participated in the historic first HOPE '91 race, with Alaskan musher "Kate" Caterine R. Persons, winning first place position, completing the race in twenty days.