FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - The official start of this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race could take place in Fairbanks because of poor conditions on key parts of the nearly 1,000-mile route from Anchorage to Nome.
The Iditarod Trail Committee announced Wednesday that a decision on the location of the restart, which marks the beginning of actual racing, will come Feb. 10, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported (https://bit.ly/2l11yZq).
“As is the case each year, the Iditarod Trail Committee staff and crews have been monitoring trail conditions closely, and in particular, sections of the trail in the Alaska Range,” the committee said in a statement. “While Southcentral, in general, has experienced more than adequate snowfall, Rainy Pass and the Dalzell Gorge have not.”
The ceremonial start kicks off in Anchorage March 4, with the restart currently scheduled for the following day in Willow.
Since the first Iditarod 44 years ago, the restart has been held in Fairbanks twice, in 2003 and 2015.
Iditarod officials considered holding the restart in Fairbanks again last year because of poor snow conditions in south-central Alaska, but ultimately decided to keep it in Willow.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Karl Kassel said the borough is ready and willing to help with the event.
“We are prepared and engaged, and if they run into difficulties we would be happy to host them here as we have in the past,” Kassel said. “Putting it together between Feb. 10 and March 5 is a challenge, but we’re up to the challenge.”
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Information from: Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner, https://www.newsminer.com
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