2022 Iditarod this weekend

WASILLA — The 2022 Iditarod kicks off this weekend. Mushers across the globe are gearing up for The Last Great Race.

Iditarod Trail Committee Chief Operations Officer, Chas St. George said this year’s roster features one of the strongest musher fields in Iditarod history among its two-legged and four-legged athletes.

“You have some high-energy teams this year and I think you’ll see that during the race,” St. George said. “These dogs are the highest endurance athletes on the planet.”

According to St. George, the warm weather conditions with higher snowfall than usual will make this year’s race particularly challenging for mushers, but trail groomers are working around the clock to make the most of the situation.

“There’s more snow than many of our trail team members have seen in the past. There’s a lot of snow,” St George said. “For us, we’re just making sure everything’s firm and really well-groomed for them. That trail is gonna look a lot like a freeway because it’s going to be hard and it’s going to be fast. All things are moving forward.”

The 2022 Iditarod ceremonial start in Anchorage is scheduled for Saturday, March 5. The official restart begins the following day in Willow, returning to its traditional roots from an altered route from last year’s race that started and ended out of Deshka Landing.

The 2021 race route was referred to as the Gold Trail Loop. It spanned about 860 miles, following a portion of the historic race route. Teams made their way through the Alaska Range, the Happy River Steps, and the notorious Dalzell Gorge, twice, a unique milestone that was never seen before at the Iditarod.

St. George said that it’s particularly gratifying to return to the familiar route this year since it falls on the Iditarod’s 50th anniversary. He said that mushers will have the chance to attend the ceremonial banquet in Nome for the first time in two years.

“Everybody is really excited,” St. George said. “It’s time for us to move forward.”

While the Iditarod was able to keep going in both 2020 and 2021, qualifying races around the world were canceled due to the pandemic. St. George said that everyone involved in the Iditarod community banded together to keep one of Alaska’s most cherished traditions going for years to come they will find a way to overcome any challenge that comes their way.

“We could not do this without them,” St. George said.

This pandemic has taught us one thing, that resilience wins the day

The Iditarod has an extensive COVID-19 mitigation plan in place that includes vaccinations for everyone that is involved in the race, from mushers and race officials to veterinarians and trail grooming crewmembers.

“Everyone’s getting shot in the arm,” St. George said.

For more information about the 2022 Iditarod, visit iditarod.com.