Fairbanks back on routeJ

EREMIAH BARTZ/Frontiersman sports editor

After being left off of the course of the 2005 Tesoro Iron Dog, Fairbanks is back on the trail.

Last week the board of directors of the Iron Dog voted to once again include Alaska's second-largest city on the 2,000-mile trail.

The world's longest snowmachine race is now tentatively scheduled to start Feb. 12 in Wasilla, and finish Feb. 19 at Pike's Landing on the Chena River in Fairbanks. Nome will remain as the halfway point.

Laura Bedard, executive director of the race, said the start and finish points of the 2006 could change, but Wasilla, Fairbanks and Nome will be the three major points of the trail. Wasilla and Fairbanks are the homes of the start and finish of the Iron Dog, Bedard said, and if the race starts in one city it will end in another. A final decision is expected to be made on Aug. 23.

Now that Fairbanks has returned to the course of the Iron Dog, Bedard hopes this is a permanent move.

"I'd like to think, for the stability of the race, this is permanent," Bedard said.

Stability of the race is one of the driving factors that led board members to again include Fairbanks on the trail, she said.

"We looked at the facts, and what happened last year," Bedard said. "The low participation."

The field dropped to 40 racers last year.

"The board reviewed what has happened to the race financially, and how do we make this race correct," Bedard said.

Bedard said the board is not necessarily looking for Fairbanks-area racers to fill the field, but increase the statewide support of the event.

"Having Fairbanks - the second largest city in Alaska - in the race, it's more exposure for sponsorships, volunteers, media coverage," Bedard said.

Fairbanks has had an on-again, off-again association with the race for nearly a decade. The city hosted the finish of the event from 1997-2002, and the start in 2004. The race was canceled due to lack of snow in 2004. Last season organizers opted for the traditional Wasilla to Nome, and Nome to Wasilla route.

In addition to changing the course of the event, Bedard said, the board has also voted to add new classes to the 2006 Iron Dog. A semi-pro class has been added with a course of about 1,000 miles, but a purse not as large as the pro class. Bedard said at least five teams must sign up to justify the addition of the class. A masters class also has been

added.