“The 49th run of the Iditarod will be different this year.” That’s the sentiment of Rob Urbach, CEO of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
For many Alaskans, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race signifies the one year anniversary of the pandemic. Last year, the mushers all shook hands at the opening banquet and then returned to a world with no toilet paper on store shelves.
Traditionally, the Iditarod commemorates the 1925 Serum run, a sled dog relay that transported diphtheria antitoxin across Alaska. The serum saved the town of Nome and the surrounding communities from an epidemic.
According to Urbach, this year the Iditarod race is focusing on honoring the earlier mavericks of Alaska. Those who pioneered gold mining in the town of Flat. The Iditarod trail was originally constructed as a mail route, running from Seward to the town of Iditarod before pushing on to Nome. At the turn of the century, Iditarod, which served as a supply town for the nearby mining claims, sported a population of over 3,000 people. Mail was brought in to the miners using the Iditarod Trail, and gold was hauled out.
Because of Covid-19, the Iditarod Race Committee worried about spreading the coronavirus to villagers around the traditional race routes. In order to protect elders in those villages, the 2021 Sled Dog Race was re-routed to avoid many of those checkpoints.
This year, the race re-start begins in Willow, picks up the original mail route at Skwentna, runs to the abandoned town of Flat, and doubles back, making a loop.
To ensure mushers health, volunteer and media participation will be restricted this year, and a system of rigorous Covid testing is being adopted.
According to Urbach, mushers will be tested 14 days before arrival in Alaska. They will be tested again, 72 hours before arrival, and again when they arrive. Then the mushers will be required to enter what he terms the “Iditarod Bubble”. Inside the bubble, there will be minimal and controlled interaction between mushers. There will be mandatory mask wearing at all checkpoints, except when sleeping or eating.
Most of the checkpoints will host a series of soft and hard sided tents for the mushers. Additional Covid testing will take place in McGrath, and if a musher tests positive on the trail, he or she will be removed from the race.
One of the concerns this year is the loop design of the race. In order to keep the trail safe for all mushers returning from Flat, ongoing trail maintenance will take place throughout the race to ensure safe conditions.
Despite the need to innovate this year to host the race, Urbach is optimistic. The snow conditions are good, and forty-seven mushers are ready to go. The 2021 Iditarod Sled Dog Race will begin on March 6th at 2pm, and two Talkeetna mushers, Dallas Seavey and Rick Casillo are registered to compete in this year’s race.
