Iditarod Ceremonial Start canceled

For the first time in 49 years, Iditarod will not start in Anchorage. The Ceremonial Start has seen its share of changes over the decades. Originally a traditional race starting point, it then took on a celebratory feel that was part opening ceremony while still also counting towards the overall mileage and times for teams. The new millennium saw even more changes when the Anchorage start became Ceremonial only and times were no longer counted. Teams were trucked from Anchorage to Wasilla or Willow (and sometimes Fairbanks in bad snow years) after the teams paraded 11 miles through Anchorage in what's considered one of the largest tailgating (or as we say TRAILgating) events in the world.

The Anchorage Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod is the finale event of the two week Fur Rondeveux winter festival (well, okay, they SAY it's the Running of the Reindeer is the finale, but pfft, we know that's not true). Alaskans come from all over the state to watch the teams take off. Fans spend hard earned dollars to win auctioned off rides in the sleds. Bystanders roast hot dogs, drink beer, eat muffins -and share all that and more with the passing teams. It's a PARTY. It's JOY. It's a CELEBRATION.

Last night the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) announced that this year, there would be no start in Anchorage. The ITC released a statement saying:

"While the Iditarod believes the future does not belong to the fainthearted, we take the health and well-being of our racers, volunteers, staff, and spectators very seriously. After consulting with our stakeholders and in consultation with the Municipality of Anchorage, we decided to cancel our traditional ceremonial start in Anchorage due to the COVID-19 concerns of a large gathering.

The Iditarod looks forward to its 50th anniversary event in Anchorage to be held Saturday, March 5, 2022. For now, it’s up to all Alaskans to come together and embrace the spirit of the 20 mushers who travelled the Iditarod Trail to Nome in 1925 to deliver the precious life-saving diphtheria serum. Let’s all do our part and make sure we wear our masks, practice social distancing, wash our hands, and keep our spirits high."

The race promises this is a one year issue, and that they plan to be in Anchorage next year for the race's 50th event.

As many of my readers know, the Iditarod start is something I look forward to all year. Growing up in Alaska, winter meant Iditarod for me and for my family. My grandparents were Iditarod volunteers from the 70s up until my grandmother passed away in 2012. My grandfather was the area coordinator for a section of the Iditarod Anchorage trail for decades. His team saw their section grow up from being just a residential area with a few driveways and a semi big road that meant they had to do traffic control to now a huge hub of medical buildings and a dog park. Lots of changes.

But this is the biggest change. For the first time in my adult life, I will NOT be at the start of the Iditarod. The ITC is asking spectators to stay away and they are not giving out media passes. There's really no reason for me to attend, and I respect the ITC's wishes to keep the bubble secure. Covid has changed a lot and this is just another one. I would much rather see the race go on and me have to be at home than the thing be canceled in its entirety.

This just gives me more time to blog about the first few days of the race, and watch along with everyone. I'm thinking about doing some sort of live watch party if I can figure out how. (Anyone with any experience, hit me up and let me know how it all works.) 

It's been a huge blow as this is the one "vacation" I was sure would happen (Iditarod had a strong covid-19 plan in place for the ceremonial start) and I really needed this weekend. But I'd rather just really go all out for the 50th. I have over a year to plan and make my section the best it's ever been. 

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (Aug 24)

I intentionally skipped last week's round up. There wasn't much in the way of new news, and what was new was kind of the same ol' same ol'... plus, I was just not feeling it. I'll admit it, I was lazy... but there were a few shake ups this week (many being released within the last few hours of August 24) so I guess I best get to sharing what's going on.

Breaking today (Friday, August 24) is the news out of the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) - Board President Andy Baker, brother of 2011 Iditarod Champion John Baker, announced that he has stepped down from the position and has resigned from the board of directors. Baker plans to be a spectator and continued supporter of the Last Great Race (which at this point means just a spectator who may pay dues every year if they want to, but they no longer get a vote... but hey we still get a discount on their merchandise!) Succeeding Baker as president is newly appointed board member Mike Mills. The change comes seven months after an independent study produced by the Foreaker Group recommended an entire overhaul of the ITC board due to mushers and fans alike having no faith in the leadership of the race. To further support that claim, many well known mushers chose not to sign up for the 2019 race, and many still are not on the roster as of today. It will be interesting to see in the coming days and weeks to see if this is the change that will get more mushers to sign up. Currently Wade Marrs, Mitch Seavey, Dallas Seavey, Ray Redington, and Robert Redington are leading the boycott until changes to the race leadership is made.

In less dramatic news, Jodi Bailey of Dew Claw Kennel announced the arrival of six new pups! Mama dog and babies are doing well.

Iditarod veteran Cindy Abbott posted about a recent showing at the Founders Day Parade in the MatSu Valley. She and dogs were supporting another musher from Dream a Dream kennel, and a legendary musher in his own right Vern Halter. Vern is mayor of the MatSu and so it's fitting his two passions pull together to better the community.


Iditarod Champions Dallas Seavey and Joar Leifseth Ulsom are headlining a symposium over in Norway in September. I wish I could tell you more about it - but I can't read the language. Still, if you're over on the other side of the Atlantic, look it up. Norway knows how to celebrate the sport of mushing and its stars (dogs and humans alike). It's almost like a rock concert at the start of some of these races. I can only guess that this is a mushing equivalent to ComicCon. (There should BE a MusherCon in Alaska! Let's make that happen!)


ACE Race (Alpine Creek Excursion) is happening again this year and have announced the date. It's a race out of Cantwell. 64 miles round trip, so not a qualifier, but fun none-the-less.


Pedigree Stage Stop Race announced this week that their roster had been set for the 2019 race (seems so early to me!). Only one Alaskan team is participating, but the roster looks to be very strong and should be a very exciting race to follow.


The end of August typically marks the end of Glacier dog sled tours, Glaciers deteriorate over summer and it become dangerous to be on them, plus weather is worse and it's harder to transport to and from the glaciers. So that means a lot of dogs are returning back to their kennels to begin the fall training. September is so close, and the weather has cooled some in Alaska, so training has begun for a lot of team.


Squid Acres is looking for a short term part time handler to help with the fall training season - contact them if you're interested. They're a competitive kennel for both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod.

Don't be surprised if the next couple of weeks if there's a lot of training related posts from different teams. And keep fingers and paws crossed that Iditarod's changes move the race in a positive direction.

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (July 20)

Aliy Zirkle's lead dogs run through Anchorage during the
Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 46. March 3, 2018.

Another week in the books, another week closer to fall... which is another week closer to training season for the Alaska dog teams waiting for cooler temps and less busy mushers. The Sockeye are finally starting to show themselves in the river, meaning everyone is busy collecting food to fill the freezer. It's the height of the summer season, tourism at its peak for the next couple of weeks. The last hurrah before the fireweed are in full bloom...

But I digress, you aren't here for that. You're here for sled dog news. So let's get to it, shall we?

The Redingtons had a GREAT start to their week with two of their own being inducted into the "Iditarod Hall of Fame". Though not associated with the race officially, the Knik based Hall of Fame acknowledges mushers, dogs, companies, volunteers, and others associated with Alaska's Last Great Race. Both Raymie and Joee Redington were awarded this year. Joee passed away last year due to complications in surgery, so it is a bittersweet moment for his family - but a proud one none-the-less.

Iditarod Musher Kristin Bacon, owner of Bacon's Acres Kennel, is hiring! Bacon is looking for a handler for the upcoming season. Housing and a stipend are some of the perks, plus you'll be working with an Iditarod kennel. Bacon is well connected within the mushing community, so you may rub elbows with some of the biggest names in the sport. Author note: I am not affiliated with Kristin in anyway and have no working experience with her or her kennel. This is not an endorsement, just sharing the info.

As reported by this blog (as well as many others), on Monday the Iditarod Trail Committee announced its newest board of directors members. Four new names join the remaining ITC board and will spend the next few weeks/months becoming educated on the race and the inner workings. The four newest BODs were not voted into their position by ITC members but by the current Board of Directors. The same board that was found to have lost the trust of mushers and members alike and were told that they should step aside. Only three of those members did so - others have made excuses for why they need to stay (among them Andy Baker, board president and brother of a now retired Iditarod champion). While most have been positive about the announcement, many are still in a wait and see pattern before they celebrate any changes.


If you follow Aliy Zirkle, you know she's been sharing videos she made while out on the Iditarod Trail this year. Little vlogs if you will, it's been a great way to break up the waiting as summer goes by. Aliy's team does a fantastic job of keeping fans involved while Allen and Aliy work to provide for their kennel.


I know I just shared puppy stuff from Jeff King's kennel last week, but I can't not share this. I mean... it's puppies. You can't go wrong with puppies!



Ryan Redington is the only Redington signed up for this year's Iditarod (still), and he's hard at work with summer tours before heading back to the lower 48 to race down there before heading back to Alaska for the race his family helped create 47 years ago. From time to time he gives us a glimpse into touring life.


The Yukon Quest announced yesterday that their purse for next year's race will be $115,000 USD. The purse will be divided among the top 15 teams. Sign ups for the 2019 Quest begin on August 4, just two weeks from now. The Quest may see a larger number of entries with the lack of mushers signed up for Iditarod - some may decide to try a new race where there typically is less drama from the powers that be.

New voices added to Iditarod Board of Directors

The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) announced the addition of four names to their board of directors Monday. After months of speculation as to who would be named - or even if the ITC would follow through with the promise to change up their roster - the cat is out of the bag. The Iditarod released the names Monday afternoon, with a brief description of each new member.

Depending on your familiarity with winter sport, Alaskan politics and business, you might recognize some of the names presented in today's press release. Still, the names listed have seemingly little experience or knowledge of the sport the Iditarod represents. This, however, is not as alarming as some make it out to be. The independent research done by the Foraker Group found that there was a need to change the board and its policies - starting with getting rid of those with a conflict of interest. Mushing is a small, tight-knit community. It's hard to find someone not related to those racing to be able to be part of the board of any race. Those listed today have experience in running large organizations successfully - something the ITC in the last two years has demonstrated they have very little success in doing.

The new members of the Iditarod Board are:

Nina Kemppel - a four time Winter Olympian for Team USA in cross-country skiing, Nina is a long time Alaskan who has many ties to the state; most noteably as the president and CEO of the Alaska Community Foundation which provides grants to non-profits statewide. She is also on the board of directors of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and sits on their Athlete Advisory Council. Kemppel brings an impressive resume to the table, and while not experienced in dog sports or mushing, she does understand the workings of a successful sports program as well as what it takes to keep a highly visible non-profit working. Her addition is an interesting and exciting move on the ITC's part. It will be interesting to see how they utilize her in the coming months.

Karen King - president and CEO of "Alaska's largest advertising company", Spawn Ideas, King's resume boasts helping companies reimagine themselves and reset their course within the public eye. She's worked with General Mills, Coke-a-Cola, and local entities like the University of Alaska and GCI (an Iditarod sponsor). One only needs to look so far as her company's website to have an idea of where Iditarod plans to use her. One of the biggest areas of improvement needed is how Iditarod is perceived by the public and fans - and that's where King will most likely step in. Spawn Ideas promotes a very positive work mantra: "Everyday, we challenge ourselves and our clients to create strategically smart, provocative, bold ideas." Perhaps it will transfer to Iditarod.

Mike Mills - a lawyer who apparently is on of "the Best Lawyers in America" since 2003. Considering the ITC has seen itself in a legal nightmare more times than not over the last few years with animal rights "activists" going after them, misuse of their name/logo, and of course the quagmire that allegedly started this mess: doping. It doesn't take too much imagination to know what Mills will be bringing to the board, but it is so desperately needed.

Ryan York - representing Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC), York is the corporation's senior VP and chief director of Finance. One of the largest Native Corporations in the state, York understands the many working parts and personalities an Alaskan company/program has. While not native to Alaska, he has a love for the state and for the sport. BBNC has been very supportive of the race for years, and this no doubt will add to their enthusiasm as the Iditarod continues.

Some changes were announced weeks ago with the resignation of Wade Marrs as the Iditarod Official Finisher's Club (IOFC) representative to the board, and Aaron Burmeister. Both had to resign due to the restructured bylaws stating that no board member could be actively racing in Iditarod (this was a rule change at the recommendation of the Foraker Group conducted earlier in 2018). Also not returning is five-time Iditarod Champion and retired musher Rick Swenson who chose not to run for re-election.

Current Board President Andy Baker, brother to Iditarod Champion John Baker, is not stepping down as originally planned, stating that his brother is retired and so there is no longer any conflict of interest. Mushers and fans alike petitioned for Baker to resign well before the start of this year's Iditarod, but he said he would not step aside until after the race. Now, he is saying that he will not serve another term when his term expires next year. Time will tell.

Most talk of today's press release has been positive. The Anchorage Daily News (ADN) reached out to three-time Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey for his response and he, too, had only positive things to say. The ADN also reported that Seavey is still waiting to sign up until the Board reviews the new revisions to the "personal conduct rule."

The Iditarod also announced today that they plan to add one more name to the roster in the coming months.

Iditarod 46: If Danny Seavey were King of Iditarod

Below is Danny Seavey's latest "blog post" from Facebook about how he would solve the current woes of Iditarod.


He makes some interesting points.

No boycott for most Iditarod teams

Speculation and accusations continue to be lobbied about this weekend by fans and mushers alike over the news of Dallas Seavey's 2017 Iditarod team testing positive for the race banned drug Tramadol. While the majority of people seem to continue to side with the musher, others have taken to use this moment to beat him down. Seavey, for better or worse, is currently in China attending a previously scheduled event. While he's "half way around the world" the battle has raged on.

However, with the drama going into week 3 (if we could the week where Dallas was simply known as Musher X in the story), the media has begun to find other things to focus on. Fans are a little less angry. And the mushers... the mushers...

Well, most of the mushers are not following Dallas's plea for a boycott of the last great race.

This should come as no real surprise. The Iditarod is the top echelon of the sport these mushers throw a lot of money into training. There's no US National Mushing fund teams can get a little help from. They rely on sponsorship from individuals and businesses. Most big sponsors want to see results to make the investment look worthwhile. Top name means the brand is scene more, and is associated with excellence. It's why Dallas Seavey and J.J. Keller are such a good partnership, one that sees Dallas giving motivational speeches nationwide every year. Mitch Seavey has Young Living. Jeff King was the Cabela's musher until Animal Rights activists managed to ruin a good thing there (ironic considering). Red Paw, Eagle, Dr. Tim'ss and other high performance dog foods also have mushers they support. These sponsors want results. You don't get results if you don't run.

It's also "helpful" that the deadline to withdraw from the race and get a full refund passed before the positive drug test came to light. The petition written and signed by many of the Iditarod Finishers Club requested not only that the ITC release the name of the musher whose team tested positive, but also that the refund deadline be postponed until November. We know the ITC gave in to the first request, but have seemingly ignored all other requests by the mushers. We have no more transparency since Monday's release of the musher's name, and the mushers are out $4,000 if they withdraw.

Aside from Dallas Seavey, only two other mushers have withdrawn since the announcement - both citing the ITC's handling of the "doping scandal" as reason behind their pulling out. Laura Neese was first, and while she did not come out in full support of Dallas, she did cite concerns about the ITC's leadership. Jason Mackey announced Thursday that he, too, was dropping out of the race due to being "sick of the politics". Mackey is also charged with third-degree theft after he allegedly took four dog crates that belonged to another musher when he was in Nome, and he never returned them. After allegedly ducking phone calls for months, musher Al Eischens said he had "no choice" but to file a police report. A hearing is set for the first part of November.

More mushers have come out in support of both Dallas AND the ITC - saying now was the time to unify, not divide. This is most likely not what Dallas had in mind when he spoke out against the ITC and their recent decisions. Top names like Aliy Zirkle and Wade Marrs both said that they believed that Dallas was smarter and had more integrity than to knowingly use a banned substance - especially when he knew a drug test would happen at the finish. However, neither one feels the ITC maliciously went after Dallas and that they planned on running Iditarod. Other mushers have spoken in favor of Dallas, but have not spoken one way or the other on the Iditarod, but are still listed on the Iditarod roster.

Only one musher has said their decision is still up in the air - unsurprisingly that musher is Mitch Seavey. While some have shared surprise that Mitch didn't just pull immediately, it'd be remiss to point out that Mitch is deeply connected to the Iditarod in ways his son can't be. Mitch watched his father and the other Iditarod Trail Blazers come together with Joe Redington to get the race off the ground. Can't help but think the loyalty to the race (not the ITC, as Dallas pointed out the ITC is not the Iditarod) weighs heavy on his mind as does his loyalty to his kid.

Dallas' brother Danny made the point in an interview with fellow musher and journalist Blair Braverman that it wouldn't matter if the top 10 mushers all pulled out, and the ITC board were all fired, there would still be an Iditarod. The race is bigger than a few top names. Volunteers and fans and mushers are here to stay.

Also staying put are all of the Iditarod's sponsors. For once, scandal isn't scaring anyone away - for now. Though some have told the media that they are "monitoring the situation" for now, all of their money is staying put. This is good news for the race in general. The Iditarod recently lost a major sponsor in Wells Fargo due to Animal Rights Extremists pressured the bank into stopping sponsorship. Sound familiar? Kinda hard not to think they had a hand in the latest bout of negativity within the race.

There are still questions that the ITC needs to address. Full transparency in sports - especially when it's the health and safety of the sports athletes - is of great importance. The ITC is hoping the attention will die down, but my personal hope is that the mushers continue to push for answers. Not just Dallas shouting with righteous indignation over how they handled this, but the other mushers who deserve to know just what happened. Dogs were drugged, the ITC has no proof their musher did it - are they still investigating? It might make everyone breathe a little easier if they actually seemed to want to find out how the drug got in the dogs system. Right now with their inaction to investigate, it just seems that they still believe Dallas Seavey to be to blame, even when they say they don't believe it to be the case.

We need answers.

ITC seems unconcerned with who drugged Seavey's dogs

I was forwarded a Facebook message the Iditarod social media representative sent a concerned fan in regards to how the Dallas Seavey case has been handled. That they responded at all is in itself shocking, but that they were willing to admit that they could find not proof of any wrong doing is what most are focusing on.

Screencap of the message sent to a race fan today about Dallas Seavey's
Doping allegations. October 25, 2017

If they could find no proof of Dallas Seavey being the one to administer the drug to his dogs, then that raises a concerning question: "just who did?" This is the issue that Seavey brought up Monday night as news broke that he was Musher X, and again in the many interviews he gave yesterday trying to pressure the Iditarod Trail Committee into releasing their findings. Seavey reiterated how he and others were concerned of the lack of security in the checkpoints when drop bags are delivered, as well as the apparent lack of security in the Nome Dog Lot.

If Dallas is not guilty, then that leads to only 3 main options: 1. another musher/musher's people tampered with Seavey's team/food, 2. An Animal Rights activist group is to blame or 3. It was an honest mistake by a vet/handler/volunteer. All three are plausible, but we will never be sure unless the guilty party breaks their silence. If Dallas Seavey is telling the truth, and he nor his team gave his dogs the drug, then why isn't the ITC concerned? Why are they not investigating this fully? Why not release what they found? Why not release how they came to the conclusion that there's no proof Dallas did it?

If the Board came to the conclusion that there was no wrongdoing by Dallas, and that they believe he did not administer the drug to his dogs, then WHY have they not even ENTERTAINED the idea of sabotage? If they have no proof of wrong doing why sit on the findings so long? Why not produce the evidence that they have? Where are the test results.

If what Dallas Seavey said about his communication with the ITC, race marshal, and lead Iditarod veterinarian is true, then the drug was administered in Nome. If administered then, then it was after his team was done racing. If he was done racing when the drug was administered then there is no broken rule. The drug, Tramadol, is only banned during the race, it is a legal prescription drug to have for either pain relief for humans or dogs. It is fairly easy to get as anyone can get it with a script from a doctor or vet. If there is no broken rule, the doping allegations are a moot point. If it's a moot point the ONLY concern the ITC should focus on is - if there is no proof that DALLAS or his TEAM fed the dogs the drug then someone else DID. There needed to be a thorough investigation, and by all accounts there wasn't. There were a few phone calls back and forth, with no doubt Dallas going from "how" to "who" and asking for answers.

Instead of answers, Dallas purports that he was thrown under the bus. And judging by how ridiculous this PR nightmare for the Iditarod has become, one is apt to believe him. That the ITC is now more concerned about how the longer this discussion goes the more likely the Iditarod will lose sponsorship money than they are that someone's dogs were drugged without their knowledge is concerning. The ITC seems to be way out in left field, in one sentence they say they believe Dallas, in another they all but call him out as a liar. Which is it?

Stan Hooley went to KTVA for a nearly 40 minute interview where through his double talk said he wants to listen to the concerns of mushers and that they should never have felt they couldn't speak their mind about the race. All actions by the ITC before now would contradict that, as many mushers have said as much in at least the last 2 years since the gag rule came into effect. Hooley wants to see Dallas run this year's Iditarod, Seavey says that won't happen and wants other mushers to follow him out of the race until the ITC sees new leadership. That is unlikely to happen as many teams would be out a great deal of entry fee money as the deadline to withdraw with full refund happened before news of the positive drug test broke. This is yet another slight mushers feel from the ITC.

Hooley said he hoped this would die down and go away, and it very well could with Seavey stuck forever with the questions, but this is Dallas Seavey. He doesn't just lay down and die. This will not just go away.

And it shouldn't go away. Fans, mushers, media, everyone needs to pressure the ITC. First off to release the test results and other evidence ITC used to come to its conclusions. We need actual answers not speculation. Not vague statements. And secondly, since they say Dallas didn't give his dogs the drug, they need to start an investigation into who did. None of this "we're looking at new security measures", FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG, and make sure it never ever happens again. This time the dogs were drugged with something safe and in the right dose. Next time it could be a far worse result. It's time for the ITC to step up and protect the mushers and the dogs THAT is the true spirit of the race, not lining their pockets.