Outside his kennel in Knik just before the beginning for the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race the musher Jason Mackey was contemplating how to replenish his depleted food supply of fish, meat and kibble for his dogs.
His freezer was stocked with just a few Yukon River fish, donated by a family member. In the snow nearby the man had tucked away the frozen portion of whole king salmon that he had rescued by researchers working who were working on Gulkana River. It was next to boxes of animal feed grade beef blocks marked “inedible.”
His kibble was about gone The visit to the grocery store could cost him.
“In 2004 when I did my first Iditarod and we were charged $28 per bag for food, which was the Red Paw kibble that we consume to our dogs today,” he said. “Today the price of the dog food bag is worth $68.”
Mackey is one of the many mushers in the current Iditarod field who are struggling with the increasing costs of mushing dogs caused by the disproportionate increase in dog food and other equipment. Many mushing mushers point to the financial burden as their primary issue in deciding to continue competing on the Iditarod. With only 33 mushers the current Iditarod is already the smallest number of teams in its 50-year history. This is a lot less than what’s the average which is which is 63. At one time, in 2008 there were 96 teams who signed up.
Iditarod the CEO Rob Urbach called the low participation this year is a “wake-up call” however he said there’s not an excuse to panic.
“We aren’t sure if it’s necessarily a trend moving ahead,” he said.
Urbach stated that the low number of sign-ups is partly due to the timing of events, as some mushers miss out due to injuries, retirement, or mid-career breaks.
The is made up of five time champion Dallas Seavey, 2018 winner Joar Leifseth Usom, and longtime mugger Aaron Burmeister. Three of them have opted to stay out this year , allowing them to spend time with their families. There’s also a younger generation of mushers that have announced they’re retiring or getting rid from their sport during recent times including four-time winners Jeff King and Martin Buser as well as the fan-favorite Aliy Zirkle.
But, even though Urbach admitted he’s not concerned about the record-low turnout this year but the Iditarod race organizers are seeking ways to bring in more teams and inspire future generations of mushing athletes. Urbach noted that participating in the race of 1,000 miles requires between five and 10 years of training for the majority of people.
Urbach revealed that the race’s organizers plan to tie in the Junior Iditarod into the Iditarod. The 150-mile junior race is for mushers between 14-17 and is being run as an event on its own. However, Urbach said, if both races take place simultaneously young mushers may be able to overlap with Iditarod teams and get to meet teams at the first checkpoints. Urbach said that the Iditarod is also looking into the possibility of a shorter, middle-distance qualifying event in conjunction with the Iditarod and is looking to determine how it might assist mushers to save money on dog food by forming co-ops to purchase food.
A few mushers believe that the Iditarod organization will help more future racers. Some pointed to the prize money as a reason for kennels to participate in races. The total amount of prize money shared by Iditarod racers topped more than $900,000 however, the following years it dropped to $500,000which is where it’s been for over the last few years even as inflation climbed up.
“It’s not a hidden that the Iditarod has an estimated budget of $4 million,” declared Mitch Seavey, a three-time Iditarod winner who has decided to skip this year’s race in order to allow his body to heal. “It is a mystery to me why the purse isn’t larger and also why the mushers aren’t getting the support they deserve.”
Seavey is adamant about the Iditarod to hold additional races during the course of the year in order to keep people excited about the race. The Iditarod’s purse of $500,000 is the highest of any major long-distance dog race anywhere in the world. In the Kuskokwim 300, the race with the second highest prize money in Alaska will pay out around $160,000 in prize money to 25 teams. In the Yukon Quest Alaska paid out $100,000 to the top eight finishers.
Jessie Holmes, who placed third last year’s Iditarod and said that the huge prize pools is a key element in his decision-making process for the races he’ll participate in.
“It offers more chances for professional mushers to compete for purse cash, which is massive,” he said.
However, some races that are mid-distance have seen a surge in recent times despite the small prize funds. For instance, the Willow 300 attracted 24 teams despite the small $18,000 prize.
Joe Taylor, a 30-year-old who runs a kennel with 13 dogs in the vicinity of Fairbanks and has said that he could not run the Iditarod following his debut season in 2022.
He also said that middle-distance races are more appealing for those of his age who don’t wish to devote their lives entirely to mushing dogs.
“They’re considerably more manageable for smaller kennels as well as those who want to take on other activities in their lives during winter months, and also have a healthy lifestyle,” He said.
Urbach stated that the Iditarod hopes to increase the purse of the race however, it’s not been straightforward. First, the costs of the race have been up by about 30% in the last 18 months and have dragged down the budget of the race according to him. The organization is trying to raise money through individual donations as well as the Iditarod Insider media platform, as well as numerous other online initiatives.
Urbach also stated that getting major corporate sponsors has become more difficult in the last few years and he attributes this due to the pressure exerted by animal rights organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (or PETA who oppose the Iditarod because it believes that dog mushing constitutes cruelty to animals.
“It’s an enormous, huge problem for us to face,” he said at the town hall meeting in December. “Our radical friends have made it a bit difficult for the Lower 48 public companies to support us.”
Corporate sponsors that have walked from the contest during the past 10 years includes ExxonMobil, Alaska Airlines and Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the owner of the local dealer, was targeted by more than a quarter-million email messages coming from PETA members, PETA said at the time. PETA also put out full-page advertisements within The Anchorage Daily News and paid for radio advertisements in the past year, according to a press release issued by PETA.
Urbach stated that, in addition to advancing it’s initiatives on its own, the organization is insisting on for the Alaska Legislature to join in and promote the sport of sled dogs, which is the official state sport of Alaska through the allocation of funds for the Iditarod.
“We earn direct income in the range of $20,000 to our state during the race, however the indirect income is more substantial,” said Urbach.
At present, he stated that the state government does not help in the race.
Despite the challenging weather, there are hopeful indicators for the race. The number of people who signed up for this year’s Junior Iditarod this year were more than they have been for more than 10 years. Mushers who are new to the sport are creating the kennels, and also completing the qualifying races in mid-distance.
“I did five races of mid-distance this year, and three of them were filled,” said Brent Sass the winner of Iditarod last year. “And there are a lot of names I’ve never heardof, so there’s a lot of new people coming on the road. There’s plenty of potential in this sport.”
Anja Radano who runs an ewe in a small kennel close to Talkeetna She said that she does not run the Iditarod to earn money but she needs to save money in order to race.
She’s got two jobs to fund the upkeep of her kennel. She raced last year but will not race this year in order to save for the next take on the race. She estimates that racing the Iditarod costs an extra $25,000 each year. She says she’s drawn to shorter, smaller races that aren’t as demanding however she believes the race’s 1,000-mile distance still holds its appeal.
“Mushing isn’t a sport you’ll ever earn money from,” she said. “I’m sure I’m not going to give all hope on Iditarod.”
