So you want to come to the Iditarod...

Kelly Maxiner celebrates during the Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 46.
March 3, 2018. Anchorage, AK.

For many a mushing fan, attending any part of the Iditarod is a bucket list item. The cost of travel, plus the unknown of what to expect detours a lot of fans from ever making the trek. So often when thinking of Iditarod people think of the cold, icy, remote parts of the trail that seem impossible to reach. While the vast majority of the race is like that, the Ceremonial and Official Starts are much more accessible, and close to the largest travel hub in the state.

In the coming weeks I'll give off tips, tricks, and answer frequently asked questions I've gotten over the years on how best to plan and prepare for a trip to the Last Great Race on Earth. So often, for me, it's hard to come up with answers because my experience is not one of travel and care - I've lived in Alaska my entire life. I have routines and being born and raised here I am used to the weather, the lack of sunlight, and other concerns "outsiders" typically have. I've reached out to others who have traveled to this great state for this race, and will share their tips along with my own.

All recommendations come without any kick back to myself or anyone else. I am not giving advice as a way to financially gain or get any sort of perks for sending anyone their way. All opinions are my own unless stated otherwise, and I can only go by what I have researched or experienced first hand.

When to come

This is the million dollar question. While the race runs about 2 weeks from start to finish, champion to red lantern, most fans cannot take off that kind of time, so the question becomes - when do you want to come and what do you want to see?

The start of the Iditarod is the first weekend of March - every year. It's tradition and there's no way they're going to change it any time soon. The entire mushing season in Alaska keeps the Iditarod tradition in mind when they schedule their races. The Ceremonial Start is Saturday and begins at 10am. Teams leave from the chute on 4th Avenue and D in Anchorage, AK and run roughly 11 miles through Anchorage to end at Campbell Airstrip where they load up the teams and head up the road to Willow, Alaska to prepare for the Re-Start (also called the official start). I plan on doing a blog post about the Ceremonial Start later on in this series, so for now we'll just work with the time and date.

Like most other sled dog races, the Iditarod has a staggered start. Each team leaves in bib draw order in two-minute intervals. The first musher out of the chute is typically the Jr Iditarod champion (Jr Iditarod takes place the weekend before Iditarod) and is carrying the Honorary Musher (or if that person was awarded the honor posthumously then a member of their family rides). They get Bib #1, so all racing teams get bib numbers 2 and up. Depending on how many teams sign up, you're looking at 2+ hours of watching teams take off in a celebration of pure Alaskan tradition.

But let's back up a couple of days. Before the ceremonial start, the mushers come together for a Musher's Banquet. Thursday before race weekend at 6pm the Dena'ina Center is filled with music, food, and lots of alcohol. This is where the mushers will thank their sponsors and draw their bib numbers. Their official media photos are taken for the Anchorage Daily News and Iditarod.com. They eat food and mingle. There is a silent auction as well as an outcry auction. And the best part? Fans can be a part of the action! As of 2018, autographs are no longer allowed during the banquet, however there is a Musher Meet and Greet prior to the banquet which begins at 4pm. Iditarod does not show a Meet and Greet on this year's calendar events, but when asked they would not confirm that it would or wouldn't be happening in 2019. All mushers must be in attendance at both the Meet and Greet as well as the Banquet. Both the Meet and Greet and Banquet are ticketed events, with the Meet and Greet being included with Banquet admission. Tickets go on sale by January.

In between Thursday's official events, and Saturday's Ceremonial start is Friday's "freebie day". This is a day that many mushers's sponsors host meet and greets with the mushers they support. Inlet Towers typically holds a meet and greet for Mitch Seavey and Jeff King. Comfort Inn/Matson host one with Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore. Other meet and greets also happen. Most of these are not known about until the last minute unless you know where to look, or are on musher newsletter/emails/etc. A lot of mushers stay at the official hotel The Lakefront, and there are several book signings typically planned with different authors and mushers. If you have a few hours to kill you can hang out around the lobby and talk with other fans, eat food at one of two restaurants on property, or just people watch. There's also the official swag tables, and the registration desk for volunteers. (I'll have another blog about volunteer opportunities.)

Sunday is when the real race begins. The Re-Start takes place on the lake in Willow, Alaska. That's about a three hour drive from Anchorage - but don't worry! There are lots of options to get you there if you don't want to make the drive. I know I sound like a broken record, but there will be a blog in the coming weeks to give you a look at some ways to get there. The Re-Start is the official start of the Iditarod. It's what all of the mushers have waited for all year. For the rookies, it's the day they've dreamt about for years - some of them their entire lives. The teams take off starting with Bib #2 (remember earlier when I said Bib #1 was for the honorary musher? they only run in the Ceremonial Start), and leave in two-minute intervals. This will be made up later when teams take their mandatory rest along the trail. Teams hit the lake to start getting ready as early as 8:30am (maybe earlier, I never get there that soon). Spectators are allowed to walk around the chute that is "barricaded" by that lovely orange plastic fencing. You're able to take pictures, talk with the mushers and handlers, and see all the dogs. Most mushers don't get too chatty as they are in race mode, but there's a buzz like no other on race day. Spectators then line the chute on both sides all the way across the ice and into the woods. It continues for miles. It's a sporting tailgating party, a must do.

For the next 10 days the race is run through Alaska's rugged and most beautiful terrain. There are ways to get out onto the trail and watch teams come into different checkpoints. This is expensive, and I'll leave you to decide if you want to add it to your itinerary - there will be a blog for these options coming, but this blog is just about planning how long of a trip you want.

Like I said, it will take about 10 days for the teams to start coming in. If you're wanting to see the finish in Nome, most have to make the painful choice of attending either the start or the finish, otherwise you're looking at a lot of time off from work/home... and a huge credit card bill when all is said and done. Alaska is not cheap - and it gets significantly worse the further away from Anchorage you get. So keep that in mind when planning your trip. The top teams average finish is in 9 days, bringing them in on a Tuesday evening/Wednesday Morning. Mitch Seavey holds the fastest time in just over 8 days. There are only two flights into Nome a day during that time on a commercial airline (Alaska Airlines), the Sunday evening flight gets you in with typically a day, possibly two, to get your bearings and see the sights. There is A LOT to do during Iditarod week in Nome. If you can swing a week in Nome you have a good chance of seeing all of the mushers come in under the burled arch.

The sun shines bright over the burled arch in Nome, Alaska. March 2017.

The Finisher's Banquet in Nome takes place two weeks after the ReStart (Sunday). This is a pay at the door event and is where the mushers all come together and swap stories, mingle with friends, family, fans and the community of Nome. Sometimes the banquet happens before all of the teams come in - but lately the red lantern has come in in enough time to participate in the festivities. The Banquet begins at 4pm and tries to end in enough time for folks to make it to the airport should they be flying out on Sunday night. The final flight of the day leaves around 9:30pm, so you may miss a few of the awards, but for the most part you should be fine. You don't need to be at the airport 2 hours before hand. Their TSA is... interesting. But that's for another blog (yes, soon).

Suggested time-frame

So what do I recommend for a bucket list Iditarod trip? Well, I could just be cruel and say blow 3 weeks worth of savings and come from beginning to end. I mean, we're talking bucket list, right?! But, if you are like me and have a limited income and so time and money are precious, I can suggest a few ideas.

For the Starts:
Fly in Tuesday Evening, Spend Wednesday touring locales near Anchorage like Girdwood and Portage, Thursday Mushers Meet and Greet/Banquet, Friday tour Anchorage and check out some Meet & Greets or hang out at the Lakefront and people watch, Saturday attend the Ceremonial start, Sunday attend the restart (at some point in those two days make a trip to the official Iditarod HQ in Wasilla to get a pic with the Iditarod signs as well as Joe Redington's statue!), Monday fly home.

For the Finish:
Fly in Sunday settle in and take in Nome, Monday if possible take a tour to see musk ox or the tour of Nome (both spendy, but it's on my personal bucket list), Tuesday is a possible Iditarod Champion Finish day, Wednesday is a for sure finish day, fly out Thursday evening or Friday Morning... if you can swing a full week then stay through the Finisher's Banquet on Sunday and fly out Sunday evening.


One more (important) note

Now, not to throw a wrench into things but... well... Mother Nature has had the control of late and we've seen Fairbanks come into play for the restart. This has happened now three times in the last 15 years, most recently in 2015 and 2017. Should that happen forget everything I said about ReStart Day and pay attention. SHOULD the race's restart and trail be moved further north the FAIRBANKS RESTART will take place Monday following the Ceremonial Start. The Anchorage Start stays the same, but they need Sunday for travel time to get the teams up to Fairbanks. This is a 10-12 hour drive in the best weather, and if there's snow and ice and wind as there often times is, the drive can be longer. But, don't dispair, there are other travel options on how to get to the ReStart. Flights from Anchorage to Fairbanks are regular and have several airline options. The flight is about an hour and half long. There is also the option of the train, they have rides running but you're at the mercy of their schedule, and it is based on track and weather conditions. Air travel is your safest bet.

The Fairbanks ReStart would take place at 10am on Monday morning, so you would want to fly up the day before and snatch a room. The restart takes place right outside Pike's Landing (which is a fantastic hotel, btw) on the river. I'll talk more about the logistics and planning of a Fairbanks restart in a later blog, but just make sure that when planning your bucket list trip for the start that you are aware of the possibility of things changing. These changes are typically announced TWO WEEKS before the start of the event - so there's not a lot of time to change plans, but if you have a contingency plan and budget in place it's doable.



Hopefully this gives you a basic blueprint to plan your trip for Iditarod - as the weeks go on I hope to have more information on all aspects of trip planning, but this gives you an idea of the timeline you're looking at. Do you have any questions on this or other topics in planning your trip? Comment below or shoot me a note on social media ( @tonichelleak on twitter ) and I'll give you the best info I can. Are you planning a trip? Let me know in the comments when you're hoping to make it, I'd love to know how your planning is going!



*Note: I am not an official travel planner or guide. All advice is from my own experience/knowledge.*

Iditarod FAQ - 2012 edition - Part 1

It's been a couple years since the last one of these. I still get asked a lot of the basics, but I want to try and make it more concise. To see the original, go here. This is a replay of some of those, but also some new tidbits.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (the official full title of "The Iditarod") began when a group of mushers - led by Joe Reddington, Sr. - decided to "save the sled dog." With the introduction of airplanes and snowmachines/four wheelers to the state of Alaska, the jobs that were originally given to dog teams were going to the newer technologies. Reddington and his band of buddies were concerned that the lifestyle they loved would disappear forever. Reddington worked tirelessly to begin the world's first long distance sled dog race into existance.



DeeDee Jonrowe's dog "Crush" at
the start of the 2012 Tustumena 200.

The Alaskan Sled Dog is a hearty, but small, breed of dog. There are no strict guidelines into what goes into the breed, nor is there a breeding standard. What makes a sled dog a sled dog is their desire and willingness to pull and run with a team. The Alaskan Malamute is the closest we have to a "standard breed" of sled dog. They are related to the Native Sled Dogs that are basically the starting point for all sled dogs. The best way to describe the racing dog today is: mutt. They are typically 50lbs to 60lbs, are incredibly hyper and high strung, and come in all colors. You will never see an Alaskan Husky in the dog shows like Westminster, they aren't always the prettiest of dog, and - again - there is no standard to the breed. People are typically surprised at the smallness of the dogs - hollywood typically uses Malamutes or Siberian Huskies to portray these amazing athletes in film, because they look better. The dogs look like your typical running athlete, they are thin (but incredibly healthy and well fed), and have thinner/shorter coats than their ancestors. Because they are running hard, the extra fur is not desirable - and mushers have to be sure to care for their team with the proper gear (dogs wear dog coats so that when they aren't running in the sub-zero temperatures they retain their heat). They are bred to keep the pack mentality instinct, and they are loyal and trusting of their mushers.

In 1973, Reddington's dream became a reality when the first Iditarod Sled Dog Race was held. It began the first weekend of March, and followed part of the historic Iditarod Trail and had long ago been used by trappers, goldminers and later the mail route (run by sled dogs). The race runs, mainly, along the same trail as the historic teams ran, but does not complete the entire trail. While Anchorage is the start of the race, Mile 0 of the Iditarod trail is actually in Seward, Alaska. To this day, the only Iditarod team to have traveled from Seward to Nome is 2004 Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey's team when he ran his team from Seward the days before the start of the race in 2001.

In the early years, the race began in Anchorage's Tozier Track and travelled all the way to Nome. However, with the ever growing city's expantion in the late 70s and 80s, the race holds two starts; the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage (from 4th Avenue downtown to the Campbell Airstrip), and the restart at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla. With Wasilla's growth and expansion, however, in the late 90s the restart was relocated to Willow where it starts from currently. Safety of the teams is first priority and with the growing vehicle traffic in the former cities, Willow was the best solution.

In 2003, due to a lack of snow in the South Central region, the race took a drasticly different route. It was the only year that Fairbanks hosted the start of the race. The teams took another historic route before connecting back to the Iditarod Trail. The race followed, basically, for the first and only time the famed Serum Run route to Nome. The Serum Run happened in 1925 when there was a Diptheria epedemic in Nome and the surrounding villages. Due to extreme weather, the newer technologies of transportation were unable to get the medicine the town so desperately needed. Teams of sled dogs planned a relay to get the medicine to Nome. A train transported the medication as far as Nenana where it was taken by dog sled. It took about six days to get to Nome, and the weather was horrendous. The average temperature was forty below zero, and the wind was so strong it was able to knock over dogs and sleds alike!

Leonhard Seppala & his lead dog Togo.
Togo is the official mascot of the Iditarod Race.

Most famous of the Serum Run was Balto and his musher Gunner. They were the ones that led the medicine into Nome. A little less known - but most heroic - of the story was Togo and Leonhard Seppala. Seppala was the most well known musher of his day - think of him as the Jeff King (considered the "Most winningest musher in history") of his day. He understood the urgency and need for the medication when several others thought more of their lives and their dogs. Seppala and his team, led by Togo, made most of the journey when several mushers backed out. About 80 miles out from Nome, Seppala could go no further. He and his team were exhausted. He had Gunner take a second string of dogs into the city with the medicine. Balto and Gunner weren't exactly rookies to the job, but they were virtual unknowns until their historic finish. They would overshadow Togo and Seppala in the history books, but Togo - not Balto - is the official mascot of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Togo and Balto were both stuffed after death. Balto resides at the Smithsonian, while Togo stands proudly at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters in Wasilla. (By the way, Togo and Seppala not only ran the medicine towards Nome, they ran the trail to go meet up and get the medicine from the previous musher. Over 200 miles over some of the most difficult terrain.)



The Iditarod Sled Dog Race has two trails along the Yukon River, and alternates each year between the two. The Northern Route is run in the even years, and the Southern Route in the odd years. It's said that of the two, the Southern is more difficult because the wind generally comes at your face. The decision to have seperate courses was to allow more of the interior villages the chance to be featured and celebrate the race. The addition of the Southern route also allowed the race to go through the old gold rush town of Iditarod (now a "ghosttown" where only one structure somewhat remains). Iditarod is an Alaska Native word that means "A Great Distance." Iditarod (and Cripple for the Northern route) marks the halfway point of the race, and the first musher to make it into the checkpoint is rewarded with a plaque and $3000 in gold nuggets.

Because of the nature of the trail, and the fact that most of it is only put in for the purpose of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race (as well as the Iron Dog Snowmachine Race and the Iditarod Bike & Run), mileage differs slightly from race to race. The official mileage is 1,049miles (the 49 is a nod to Alaska's being the 49th state) but is normally closer to 1,200 miles when all is said and done. In 2012 it was decided that a major change to the race will occur. For only the second time, the Happy River Steps - feared by Rookies and intimidating to even the most seasoned veterans - will not be part of the race. A new trail was forged for a project in the area, and since its abandonment earlier this year the Iditarod Race Officials have glomped onto it. The reason cited is for the safety of the mushers and their dogs, which is the races' top priority. This change could be permanent.

Check back soon for part two of the series.

Iditarod 2011 BBQ

Every year the Iditarod puts on a feast for their volunteers, and they hold it the last Saturday in June. This ties in with their first meeting of the minds for the next year's race, and the mushers are on hand to sign up. But, even with all of the excitement of the future, the main focus is to celebrate the people who are helping NOW.

I had never attended previous BBQs, something either always came up - or I wasn't aware of it - and so I made it a point not to miss out on it this year (I flaked last year at the last minute because the weather looked icky). I got up super early because the BBQ is in Wasilla (yeah, you know, it's pretty well  known thanks to a certain former Governor of ours) and being in Soldotna I was about 3.5 hours away. My vehicle has issues right now so I had mom take it the night before to have dad check it out. He was unable to due to some technical difficulties, so I drove my mom's car back to their house, dropped my dog off, took my iffy exploder and headed out (parents live in Kenai so it's 4 hours to Wasilla).

The trip was uneventful - aside from rain and my running out of windshield wiper fluid - nothing really happened to warrant a whole lot of time on it. I was running later than I wanted to be, but still made it to Wasilla well before picnic time.

Holding little "Tusty".

I planned on meeting up and snatching Haille to come with. I figured she'd enjoy the games and puppies I knew would be there. The puppies were the saving grace, she never did go play the games, as she was in love with the seven week old and two week old pups that were out there for HQ guests and BBQers alike. I think if she could take them all home, she would! She was in love with getting to hold them and play with them. She asked questions of the musher and handlers that were there, and at one point Jeff King went over to look at the pups and she talked to him too! How crazy is that?! Little miss shy thing!

My first goal was to find my wonderful friend, Lilian. I met her two years ago volunteering at the Iditarod gift shop table there at the Millennium hotel (which is the official headquarters during the race). She comes every year from Switzerland and is a big favorite of all of us. And not just because she brings us swiss chocolate! Ha ha! She normally doesn't make it over here in teh summer (she takes her vacation around the Iditarod every year! She is my hero!) but she made the exception this year and I'm so glad she did! Haille really liked her, and took a ton of photos of her with my $3000 camera ha ha! She got a couple of good ones of the two of us!

Still have NO idea what we were going for here! LOL

Even though the weather threatened rain, the day was pretty much perfect. A lot of mushers were on hand to sign up for the race (so far the roster is at 47), and some old favorites also came to talk shop (it also helps that they are on the Trail Committee so they were on hand for a meeting before the picnic). Team Seavey was out in full force with Dan, Mitch and Dallas all there. Dallas and Mitch are both in next year's line up. Mitch is still sporting a brace of some sort on his finger (which he sliced off in Ophir causing the Race Marshal to scratch the musher from the race and send him back to Anchorage for surgery. Mitch was back on the trail as a special Iditarod Insider commentator that same week.). Mitch spent a lot of time talking with 2011 Champion John Baker and they seemed to be having a great time talking about what ever it was that they were talking about!

Lance Mackey was "late" to the party, but he strolled right up without much notice from the crowd and signed his name. He'll once again be after #5, trying to tie Rick Swenson (who was absent from the picnic and - so far - the roster!) for most wins. It wasn't long before people realized the head of "Last Chance Kennel" was on the green and soon they flocked to where he stood.

If you read my blog at all you know I'm not a big follower of Mackey's kennel. I prefer others to his style. However, friends of mine from MO were huge fans. They lived in Joplin, MO, and lost their lives in the huge tornado last month. It still seems unreal that Lorie and Glenn will not be around to chat about the Iditarod next year. Lorie was looking forward to see my pictures of the BBQ and had dared me to take a picture with Lance if I got the opportunity. I just laughed at the time. But, when I went into the line with my friend Lilian so she could get her pic with him, I figured I should honor their memory. One thing I have always said about Lance is that he knows how to treat the fans/volunteers.

Me, Lance, Lilian. This is for you, Lorie!

I also had to fan girl over Hugh Neff. He's just such a great personality on the trail, and I love his overall look. He's pretty much fantastic when it comes to dog care and racing in general too, so that's always a plus! Ha ha! I went over and got my picture. He tried to put me at ease by asking if I was a musher and he laughed at my "WHAT?! no." reaction. Ha ha, Hugh. You're *so* funny. goober. I think I just have a "mushers please make fun of me" sign somewhere on me. But the pic came out great, I love it, totally going in my next collage frame!

*FANGIRL SQUEE!*

The last mission of the day was getting our picture with Jeff King. That's right Mr. "I'm Retired" was there. He had most of us buzzing wondering why he was there. He'd posted about the BBQ on his facebook earlier in teh week and when fans asked if he was coming back he pretty much denied it. Well, he lied online because he announced at the end of the BBQ that he was - in fact - on the roster for Iditarod 40. This is a huge boost for so many reasons. Jeff was a face of the Iditarod during the same time as Susan Butcher (he really came into his own as she was on her way out of the sport, but his name was on everyone's lips before then). He's considered the winningest musher. He's a huge celebrity type in Alaska/the sport. And, he pushes Lance to excell. Who knows what will happen now. It's a huge roster already, all the main players (save for, as I said earlier, Rick Swenson) have thrown their name in the pool.

We waited quite a while while Jeff talked with Jim Lanier (another fabulous musher, I was totally geeking out by the end of the day), and Dallas Seavey finally figured out what it was we were waiting for (it wasn't hard Haille was wanting to go home and made a bit of a scene) so he interrupted Jeff and he hopped over to mug for the cameras. Then we were stuck trying to find someone to take the picture. We finally had no choice but to allow Dallas handle the repsponsibility. He lit up when I handed him mine and immediately tried to freak me out by pretending to drop it. Bubba would have been in a world of hurt. Told him that was a 3000 dollar camera. That made him even more of a pain. Why do I like this guy again? LOL Cuz his kid is cute, that's why! LOL

Thanks, I guess, Dallas! (Me, Jeff!!!, Lilian)

Overall it was a fantastic day and I'm glad I made the trip up and back in one day! (8 hours round trip! Long day, well worth it!)

To see all the pics from yesterday go here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150282512010664.374461.733500663&l=b1d33efa08

Cannot wait for March!