48 mushers enter 50th anniversary Iditarod on opening day

WASILLA— Iditarod officials recently announced that 48 mushers have submitted their entries for the 2022 race.

Next year’s race will be the 50th run. To celebrate the historic season, the Iditarod calling it their Golden Anniversary.

A recent press release stated the upcoming race bolsters one of the “strongest fields in race history,” featuring prominent names such as current (and five-time) Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey, four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, three-time Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey, 2018 champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom, 2019 champion Pete Kaiser, and 2020 Iditarod champion Thomas Waerner.

A total of nine rookies are registered so far. The current range of national and international participants includes teams from New Hampshire, Montana, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Norway.

“The energy at sign-up day was electric as there were 15 championships represented at our headquarters today, veteran mushers chomping at the bit to be back on the runners and rookies committed to a life changing journey. Iditarod Nation is stoked,” Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach stated in the press release.

To view the entire list of entrants, visit iditarod.com/race/2022/mushers/list.

The Iditarod hosted a summer volunteer and musher resignation picnic at their headquarters off South Knik Goose Bay Road. They also announced the opening of their annual summer raffles featuring a grand prize winner of $100,050, two awards of $10,000, and twenty-seven $1,000 winners.

Iditarod officials will hold a drawing to announce the raffle winner at the Alaska State Fair on the purple trail at 5:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 6. Winners are not required to be present to win.

Raffle tickets can be purchased by phone at 800-545-6874 or online at Iditarod.ejoinme.org/2021summerraffle.

The public is invited to stay tuned for upcoming Iditarod events and announcements, and they’re also encouraged to stop by the headquarters to learn about the race’s history and catch a ride with Raymie Redington. Sled dog cart rides cost $10 per person and they’re available daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through mid-September.

The cart rides are offered as a special summer service with weather permitting. Reservations are not necessary as it runs on a first-come, first-served basis.

Call the gift shop for more information at 907-376-5155 at extension 108.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com