Race Director Nordman hired as Iditarod's Interim CEO

Mark Nordman at the Iditarod Picnic. June 2026.

The Iditarod Trail Committee announced on Wednesday that they had hired an interim CEO as they continue their search for the next leader of the Last Great Race. Current CEO Rob Urbach announced in June that he was stepping down as CEO after seven years of service to the race. Stepping into the role to fill the gap between Urbach's departure and the ITC finding a permanent CEO is current Race Director Mark Nordman.

Nordman has been a part of the race in some capacity for five decades. Mark's rookie Iditarod was in 1983, the rookie musher placed 43rd out of 68 teams that started (54 of which finished). He would run the Iditarod five times total, with four finishes. His best placement was 32nd in 1993. His total winnings, according to Iditarod.com, was $1000. When he wasn't racing he was a race judge, until he was given the role of Race Marshal which he has held for most of the 2000s.

In 2024 Mark Nordman came off the trail as marshall to become Race Director. Nordman oversees the entire race operation. He has years of experience and knowledge of the race, the communities (as well as many connections), and has a great rapport with mushers and volunteers (something some said has been lacking in the last few years).

“Mark knows the Iditarod from the inside out,” said Mike Mills, Chair of the Iditarod Trail Committee Board of Directors. “His decades of experience across nearly every facet of the organization, combined with the trust and respect he has earned throughout Alaska and beyond, make him the right person to lead the Iditarod during this transition.”

Fans, volunteers, and mushers alike commented on the announcement on Iditarod's social media post of the announcement. Hearty congratulations came in by the dozens on the Facebook post. Volunteers and fans began commenting how excited they were, some saying they felt more positive about the race than they had in years.

Four-time Iditarod Champion Jeff King wrote "Fabulous choice. A giant among Iditarod greats." Iditarod veteran and former Race Judge Karen Ramstead wrote, "absolutely the right choice." Many others chimed in with similar thoughts.

“The Iditarod has been the center of my adult life since 1983,” Nordman said. “I’m honored that the Board has placed this trust in me, and I’m committed to keeping the organization moving forward while we find the right long-term leader.”

Mark officially steps into the role on September 15. Rob Urbach will officially will step down and focus on the project he started at CEO, DOGZ - "a multifaceted ecosystem for canine content, events, products, and services." DOGZ oversees DockDogs, as well as the partnership with BarkTV among other things. 

The ITC Board will continue to look for a permanent CEO but, according to Mills, they are confident that The Iditarod is in "experienced and capable hands."

Thoughts on this announcement? What do you hope happens while Nordman is in charge? Comment below!

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Dallas Seavey the first winner of Iditarod Lotto

Dallas Seavey celebrates a win during his "race"
at the now closed Wildride Sled Dog Rodeo.
Anchorage, Alaska. August 2010.

The Iditarod announced its first weekly winner of the newly created Iditarod Lotto Wednesday and Iditarod Nation got a good chuckle out of who won. 

The Iditarod announced the Iditarod Lotto on November 3, 2023 as their newest fundraiser to support not only the Last Great Race but also the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry. Tickets can be purchased for $2 each, with special discounts if you buy large quantities (for example, 75 tickets only cost $50). There are weekly winners through March 13 when a jackpot (they call it progressive pot) winner will be announced.

"The proceeds will be essential to not only ensuring the sustainability of the Iditarod, our culture and our mushers but also the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry," Rob Urbach, Iditarod CEO, stated in the press release. 

The payout is a simple 25-25-50 model. Weekly winners get 25% of the weekly monies received. 25% goes into the pot to be accumulated for the jackpot on March 13, 2024. 50% is split evenly between the Iditarod and the Museum as well as any costs associated with running the lotto. A single ticket number will be randomly selected by a certified, lab tested Random Number Generator from all tickets sold during the week. All tickets will also be entered for the progressive pot (jackpot) at the end of the season.

This past Wednesday was the first winner announcement and it came with great amusement to many. Dallas Seavey - the second musher to ever win 5 Iditarod championships - won $2,067 in the weekly drawing. The announcement gained automatic attention on Facebook with many fans chiming in with their thoughts on the lucky winner. "How does he do that?" wrote the champion's oldest brother. "Damn the booties and the cash !" wrote fellow musher and 2024 Iditarod Rookie Lauro Ekland who referenced Dallas' luck at the Iditarod Picnic where Seavey won the musher door prize of 500 dog booties. (Don't worry, I got my little dig in, too.) 

This is not the first time the Iditarod has used a lottery to fund the race. In the early years they sold lottery tickets for a dollar. There's a bit of nostalgia in Iditarod returning to its roots in starting up a new (and perfectly legal this time) lottery.

The lotto is not just for Alaska residents. Fans throughout the US can also purchase tickets. Alaskans must use the online platform to purchase tickets, while outside of the US fans can call 1-800-545-6874.

"We are thrilled to be able to offer a Lotto," Rob Urbach said, "with the excitement of  weekly winners and what we hope will be a large grand prize payout."

The Lotto announcement was joined days later by two other fundraisers, a "Tagalong" program where fans can pay a flat fee of $250 to have a tag with their dog's name ride in the sled of their chosen musher. Just five tags for each sled will be sold, and several mushers have already sold out. The third fundraising announcement helps the mushers as well as the race as the Iditarod Store now has an affiliate program for mushers. You can use a musher's code at checkout when you buy online at the Iditarod Store and 10% of the sale will go to the musher. Mushers are current Iditarod roster mushers only and their code is a combination of their first initial plus their last name ALL IN CAPS (example: ABERINGING). The store is also now back in the hands of the race directly, no longer working with a third party.

The announcements of all three fundraising ideas were warmly received by the Iditarod Nation and mushers alike. One can only think that this will revitalize a stagnant fanbase's enthusiasm in financially supporting the race above their usual ITC Memberships or Insider subscriptions.

Have you played the Iditarod Lotto or do you plan to? Comment below on your thoughts about this new fundraiser or any of the other newly released programs!

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