Is it time to start holding Iditarod in February?

Frontiersman editorial board

It was planned as a showcase day in Wasilla. Not only is it Iditarod Restart day but the event was to begin at the city's new sports complex, which will hold its public open house Saturday. However, weeks of above-freezing temperatures have, it appears, again forced the Restart to move north.

If so, teams will depart from the starting line near Willow Community Center. As in 2002 and other years Willow hosted the Restart, the facilities there would provide a safe start for dogs and give fans lots of parking space and viewing spots.

Curtailed, though, would be the sentimental journey down Knik-Goose Bay Road where the trail passes under the shadow of Joe Redington Sr.'s home. Iditarod mushers, race officials, volunteers, fans and even the dogs would feel sad about not saluting the race's father.

"We have a warm spot in our hearts for Knik and the folks who live there," said Iditarod Trail Committee president Rick Koch of Palmer. "To bypass them is a bad deal and it's not a decision that comes lightly."

Committee members will make a final decision Monday, and dog safety will be the bottom line, as it must be throughout the Last Great Race. As Koch rightly pointed out last week, glare ice near the sports complex and on the first few miles of trail in Wasilla risked the chance of a dog being strangled in harness if it slipped. Without a snowy surface, mushers would be unable to dig in a snow hook to stop the 15 other fresh dogs charging excitedly from the starting line.

Now, with warm weather becoming increasingly common here in early March, Iditarod officials are facing a big question. Is it time to consider changing the Restart permanently? Some people have suggested a site farther down Knik-Goose Bay Road because snow conditions generally improve closer to Knik. That carries problems, too, such as lack of staging area and a bottlenecked road due to the crush of fans.

Others suggest grooming the trail through Wasilla with truckloads of snow, just as Anchorage does for the ceremonial start. The difference is distance: racers go only a mile in Anchorage before veering off the street onto ski trails. It would be much longer, and more costly, to groom the path through Wasilla.

The best solution may be to hold the race in February. That also has complications, including possible conflicts with qualifying races or the Iron Dog. If and when change comes, we trust that Iditarod officials will do what's best for the canine athletes -- and that fans will understand.