Iditarod re-start remains in Willow

WILLOW — Thanks in large part to a Valley-based construction outfit, the official re-start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will remain in Willow this year.

Concerns over unsafe trail conditions, especially from the top of Rainy Pass to Nikolai, prompted the Iditarod Trail Committee Board of Directors to consider moving next month’s re-start to Fairbanks. After meeting Monday, the board decided to keep the March 2 re-start in Willow, said Stan Hooley, the committee’s executive director.

“We think we have the ability through a combination of heavy equipment that is going to be brought into the equation … and our trailbreaking crew that we can make for a safe trail,” Hooley said. “The reality of it is, if you went out onto that trail today, you’d say you can’t run the Iditarod over that. We’re very confident this equipment will transform the trail into something passable.”

That equipment comes courtesy of Cruz Construction, Hooley said. Cruz Construction President Dave Cruz has offered to use his equipment to groom the trails, essentially transforming them from the hard-packed ice they are now to more of a snowy surface.

“It will literally transform an icy trail into something that resembles snow,” Hooley said. “It’s equipment we haven’t had access to before.”

Cruz said hosting the official re-start is a Willow and Mat-Su tradition, one he didn’t want to see interrupted.

“For 10 days in March, everybody kind of stops what they’re doing and focuses on that race,” Cruz said. “I certainly don’t want to see that leaving from Willow.”

Building and grooming winter trails is something his company has plenty of experience with, Cruz said, adding that the current conditions on parts of the trail leaving Willow are not good for mushing.

“It’s very hard-packed and very rough right now,” he said. “The grooming equipment has the capabilities to break up and reprocess that and lays it back out.”

For now, Cruz said he’s in a holding pattern hoping the weather will turn and leave some fresh snow on the trail; however, “we’re prepared to take care of it if it doesn’t.”

The donation of Cruz Construction’s services was a main factor in keeping the re-start in Willow, Hooley said.

“Had he not been willing to do this, it’s safe to say we’d probably be re-starting this race in Fairbanks.”

After weeks of speculation about the potential for the re-start to move to Fairbanks, folks in Willow are grateful and relieved they will play host to the re-start again this year, said Jim Huston, president of the Willow Chamber of Commerce.

“There are a lot of events, and it would be a large negative impact to the community (to move the re-start),” he said. “Bed and breakfasts are full, gas stations get extra business and people of the community always have concessions selling lunches to the people and such as the re-start.”

Besides, the official Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race re-start is Willow’s annual 15 minutes in the international spotlight, Huston said.

“It’s our one day of fame and fortune,” he said.

Huston also agreed with Hooley with the assessment that, as they are now, the trails are unsafe for mushers and their dogs.

“We have a great trail system in Willow, but Mother Nature’s got to bless it,” he said. There are 16 inches of snow on the trails now, but “it’s all hard snow, icy and crusty. We live out there on those trails regularly recreating, and we have so many mushers in Willow. It’s termed the ‘Dog Mushing Capital of the World.’ I know the mushers are concerned about the safety of the dogs and mushers.”

Keeping the re-start in Willow was always the preferred option, Hooley said, but looking out for the safety of the dogs and mushers is paramount.

“From a traditional standpoint, in an ideal situation, we want to run as much of the Iditarod on this section of the Iditarod Trail as possible,” he said. “That doesn’t mean Fairbanks wouldn’t be a good and viable option, but keeping it here is a less challenging situation.”

Now that a decision has been made, the final countdown to the March 2 re-start is officially on, Hooley said.

“Full speed ahead,” he said. “We were prepared to go to Fairbanks if need be, but we’re confident we can make a safe trail.”

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