Iditarod counts down to restart

WILLOW — Less than two weeks ago, poor trail conditions nearly prompted the Iditarod Trail Committee to move the official restart of the legendary sled dog race to Fairbanks.

But a lot can happen in 10 days.

Since deciding Feb. 17 to keep the restart in Willow, preparations have been on a fast and furious pace for the March 2 restart on Willow Lake of the 42nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. One of the busiest has been Valley contractor Dave Cruz, president of Cruz Construction.

A key factor that kept the restart in Willow was Cruz’s offer to use his equipment and personnel to overhaul trails that were deemed too hard-packed and dangerous for the dog teams to navigate. Since Feb. 17, Cruz said he and his crew, along with other volunteers, have put in “hundreds of man-hours” transforming the trails from Willow to the Kuskokwim River.

“We’ve been grooming and grooming, and I personally rode 540 miles on the Iditarod Trail since last Tuesday,” Cruz said Thursday. “I was with Iditarod officials looking at the trail. What that means is I rode from McGrath to Cripple, then I turned around and rode back to McGrath and on to Deshka Landing.”

Cruz said the trail also is in good shape through Dalzell Gorge, where it runs over Rainy Pass through the Alaska Range and on to the Kuskokwim.

“That’s probably the toughest section of trail there is, and that is now in excellent condition,” Cruz said.

Also in great shape is the trail from the official restart at Willow to Skwentna, he said.

“Skwentna got 6 inches of new snow since last week and Willow got 4,” he said. “I was there yesterday and it looks just great.”

The restart likely would have moved to Fairbanks had Cruz not volunteered his equipment and manpower to make the trails safe for dogs to run on, said Stan Hooley, the Iditarod Trail Committee’s executive director.

Without that work breaking up the hard-packed and icy trail, “the reality of it is … you’d say you can’t run the Iditarod over that,” he said. “They groomed a lot yesterday and my understanding is they look really good. Things improved a lot there in the last week and a half, two weeks. We got some snowfall to work with and got a little bit of a base to run the traditional route off Willow Lake.”

Had that snow not come through, Hooley said there was a chance the restart could have taken a different route out of Willow.

That trail conditions have improved with some new snow during the past 10 days is good news for folks in Willow, said Jim Huston, president of the Willow Chamber of Commerce. Although the safety of the dogs and mushers must take priority, that the restart is staying in Willow is a great relief to that community.

“This is the annual big day for us and the revenue we get from running the kitchen, that’s important for running the community center (the rest of the year),” Huston said. “It takes a tremendous army of volunteers to run this race, and a lot of locals do a lot for the event.”

In fact, when the mushers take off on Sunday for the restart, it’s unlikely many Willow residents will be there to watch, or work.

“It’s a lot of fun for us to take part in it and watch all the excitement,” Huston said. “All our events combined don’t compare to this one day.”

Getting there

There’s nothing like experiencing the official restart of the Iditarod, but getting there and finding parking can be a nightmare, which is why Iditarod race officials urge locals to ride shuttles to the event.

Because of all the lakes in the Willow area compacting where people and racers can gather, “there’s basically a 70-mile tailgate party” on restart day, Hooley said. “You can get close to this event in a way that makes it pretty special. That’s another reason we worked really hard to not have to go to Plan B.”

Fans from Anchorage to Houston and Talkeetna can take advantage of shuttles to and from the restart, which begins at 2 p.m., Sunday. In Anchorage, shuttles will run for spectators from the Millennium Hotel at 9:30 and 11 a.m., and leave from Willow for the return trip at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. Volunteers pay $10 for the round-trip, and spectators $20.

From the Valley, round-trip shuttle service costs just $2, and shuttle leave from Wasilla High School, Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Houston and Talkeetna beginning at 11 a.m.

For those who want to drive themselves, there are a limited number of parking spaces available, about 650, and there’s a $10 charge per vehicle for parking. On race day, electronic sign boards will be located along the Parks Highway through Wasilla and Houston with updated information about parking availability in Willow.

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269 or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.

To Willow

• Anchorage — Millennium Hotel: Buses depart 8 a.m. (volunteers only), 9:30 a.m. (volunteers and spectators), 11 a.m. Cost: $10.

• Wasilla — Wasilla High School: Buses depart 11 and 11:30 a.m., and 12, 12:15, 12:30, 12:45 and 1 p.m. Cost: $2.

• Wasilla — Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center: Buses depart 8:45 a.m. (volunteers only) 11 and 11:30 a.m., and 12 p.m. Cost: $2.

• Houston — Houston High School: Buses depart 11 and 11:30 a.m., 12 and 12:30 p.m. Cost: $2.

• Talkeetna — Talkeetna Sunshine Restaurant: Buses depart 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. Cost: $2.

From Willow

• To Talkeetna Sunshine Restaurant: 4 and 6 p.m.

• To Houston and Wasilla: 4, 5 and 6 p.m. (all return shuttles will stop at Houston, Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center and Wasilla High School)

• To Anchorage: 4, 5 and 6 p.m.