Unfortunately, the original serum package only contained enough serum for 30 doses and there were already 28 cases of children and adults stricken with Diptheria, and new cases were coming in. A week later, on the 8th of February, nine of the original mushers together with twelve others had to do the entire relay all over again. Neither Balto, Kaasen, Seppala nor Togo was involved in the second run. The second relay took 36 hours more to complete.
Seppala trained dogs for polar explorer Roald Amundsen and they were both Norwegians. Amundsen was preparing for an expedition to the North Pole, which was later cancelled, leaving Seppala with some of the remaining dogs. After the Serum Run, Togo received a gold medal from Amundsen in Central Park, New York.
Diesel, the dog who played the adult Togo, is a direct descendant of Togo.
Seppala, portrayed by Willem Dafoe, was known for the humane way in which he kept his dogs, at a time when such things weren't commonplace. After every Iditarod, The Seppala Humanitarian Award is awarded by the race veterinarians and is given to the musher who takes the best care of their dog team while remaining competitive during the Iditarod race and is highly prized by the mushers.
Togo was named as such in honor of the Japanese admiral Togo Heihachiro.