Iditarod increases prize purse for 2024 race

The Iditarod announced on Wednesday that after 6 years without an increase, the prize purse for the 2024 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race would be raised by $50,000, bringing the total to $574,000, which includes money earned through Iditarod Special Awards, such as the Honorary Musher, Spirit of Iditarod Award, and the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award.

This increase was a result of a commitment and subsequent fundraising effort by the Iditarod Board of Directors.

“Given that the pandemic and inflation disproportionately impacted our mushing community, we feel it is very important to increase the prize purse at this time,” said Mike Mills, President of the Iditarod Board of Directors.

In recent years, the Iditarod has seen sponsorships wane and protests to boycott the Last Great Race have gotten louder, along with the rising costs associated with the inflation that everyone is experiencing.

“We realize more is needed to further defray the increasing costs of maintaining an Iditarod kennel, but this is the start of what we hope will be our ability to further increase the purse.”

According to the Iditarod.com website, the public will see more information regarding additional fundraising initiatives in the coming months as the Iditarod intends to find new ways to support both race operations and the mushers that compete in the Last Great Race on Earth.