A turbulent year for the Iditarod gives birth to a new era

WASILLA — The Iditarod Trail Committee recently released a revised set of race rules with changes mainly occurring under three sections of the document that has to do with expired dogs, personal conduct for mushers and starting lineup numbers.

In the 2018 Iditarod rulebook, the opening statement for the section regarding dog deaths that occur during the race begins with , “all dog deaths are regrettable, but there are some that may be considered unpreventable.” The language has been revised in the 2019 edition, stating that, “any dog death that occurs during the race results in immediate scratch or withdrawal, except only unless the death was caused solely by unforeseeable, external forces.”

“Unforeseeable, external forces,” include situations where a dog dies from getting kicked by a moose or being hit by a snow machine, according to race director and race marshal Mark Nordman.

The adaption of the newer edition of rule 42 is intended to protect the sled dog, but no particular incident was the cause of the edit, according to Nordman.

“As race marshal, it is a really serious position because I am in control of making sure everybody takes care of dogs, and when they don’t then they’re guilty,” he said, during a volunteer picnic at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla June 30.

After four consecutive years of no dog deaths during the race, four dogs passed away in 2017, and one in 2018. A fifth dog did die in 2017, but expired after it was already in Anchorage in the possession of its handler, according to Nordman, who does not consider this to have anything to do with the race.

The Iditarod Trail Committee has also limited the starting lineup number from 16 to 14 dogs, with the finishing minimum staying at five dogs.

Many mushers are not happy about this rule change because they tailor their kennels and training programs around a team of 16 dogs, according to Andy Angstman, the new Iditarod official finishers club representative to the ITC board of directors.

“It’s worth a try, the theory being maybe mushers will run their dogs a little more carefully, because the minimum finishing number is still five I believe, and the thought being if you start with fewer dogs you have to run a more conservative race,” he said.

Angstman feels that the starting lineup change will be a positive thing, and from a logistical standpoint, it will save money and manpower. Veterinarians and mushers will have fewer dogs to take care of at the checkpoints, and the Iditarod Air Force will potentially have to make fewer trips out to the trail to pick up dropped dogs.

The third major change in the rulebook was to the personal conduct policy, which was completely reworded to clarify that personal conduct standard prohibits abuse, making public statements injurious to the race, engaging in illegal activity or any action that brings disrepute to mushing, and engaging in bullying, sexual harassment, discriminatory behavior or intimidation.

At the end of June, the Iditarod also lost the support of long-time sponsor, Jack Daniels, whose parent company wanted to direct their focus more on the National Basketball Association, according to Nordman. The loss of Jack Daniels does not seem to phase ITC members.

“Sponsors come and go, and I don’t say that lightly. All our sponsors are really important, but I know we had a lot of new people that are looking at coming on board,” Nordman said.

Another recent change to Iditarod family was the resignation of Dr. Morrie Craig, the chief of drug testing for the ITC, who has left after more than 25 years of working for the race. The ITC is currently in the process of searching for his replacement.

“We do have a very large veterinary community with some very highly talented research veterinarians, and also board certified veterinarians. Those are the kind of individuals that we are going to be reaching out to,” said Chas St.George, chief operations officer.

June 30 was the first day of 2019 race sign-ups, and currently 28 mushers have added their names to the list. Veteran racer Mitch Seavey has informed news sources that he does plan to run in next year’s Iditarod now that Craig has resigned, but he has yet to sign up.

Dallas Seavey, who was involved in a dog doping controversy connected to the race in late 2017, withdrew from the 2018 Iditarod and has not given any indication that he will add his name to the 2019 roster.

“The Seavey family represents seven Iditarod victories between Mitch and Dallas, so we would hope that whatever differences there are could be resolved because they’re an important part of our race,” St.George said.

The ITC board of directors is currently undergoing a revision of their governance model, which includes the expansion of bylaws and looking at a more transparent environment in terms of conflict of interest. They are also losing three board members. Aaron Burmeister and Wade Marrs have resigned so that they can continue to run the race without a conflict of interest, and Rick Swenson has allowed his term of service to run out.

It’s been a rough year for the last great race on earth. The ITC, which usually meets four times annually, has met about 20 times in the last year, according to Andy Baker, board president.

Despite the Iditarod having spent the last year immersed in controversy, rule changes, a spike in dog deaths, and loss of a sponsor, St. Cloud sees the changes as an indicator of a bright future for the race. He believes that newcomers on the board of directors will bring about positive changes for the race.

“This is a very very special event, and so I do believe we’re in a new era and I also believe that there’s much more to be done in terms of showcasing and highlighting the unbelievable athletes that these canines athletes are,” he said.