Modern Iditarod fans emerge

March 20, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

NOME - In recent Iditarods, it's become increasingly apparent that a new kind of Iditarod fan has emerged. More fans are cropping up from the Lower 48 as well as international counties and these new mushing enthusiasts follow the "Last Great Race" via Internet, e-mail and live television feeds.

Last year, alone, the official Iditarod Web page received 400 million hits, a number that is expected to increase by more than 20 percent this year. Many mushers, too, now have personal Web pages that are continually updated for fans and classroom students across the world, all following the race, mile by mile.

"You talk about a different fan, well there is a different way of watching the race," said Iditarod Public Relations Director Chas St. George. "We've got Italian and Norwegian media. We have schools in Germany, England and all across Europe and the Pacific Rim that are tuning into this race."

As the world tunes in, they have access to an increasing amount of live information.

"Our Internet technology allows you to click on a checkpoint and find out who's there, how long they've been resting and how many dogs they have," St. George said. "You can also click on an icon and find out what the weather is."

For observers, this makes it easier to visualize exactly what's going on.

"I anticipate that within the next five years, you'll be able to right click and watch stream video and you'll be able to actually watch the race occur," St. George said. "It's just a matter of time."

Several Nome locals have taken notice of the changing times around Iditarod season.

Life-long Nome resident Cussy Kauer has watched every single race. She now works in the city's finance department at city hall. Of the roughly 3,000 visitors who annually come to Nome during the Iditarod, Alaskan sstill compose the vast majority but Kauer said she sees less of those traditional Alaska-grown fans, who used to pack the saloons and wear fur hats like badges of honor. Fan turnout was significant, but not comparable to years past.

Kauer attributes some of the decline in traditional fans to the fact that it costs so much more to live in Nome for a week than it used to.

"Everything is so expensive now so there's more higher-end travelers," she said while sitting in a mostly empty bar on Front Street in Nome.

Kauer remembers when the bars were packed, even during the daytime, as people waited for the first mushers to show up.

"Everyone used to don their finest fur hats when they came to Nome but you don't see too many of them anymore," she said.

Local Nome business owner Leslie Seamon said she's also noticed a gradual change in visitors too.

"There's still people who come to the bars and party all week but the partiers are fewer and fewer," she said. "Over the years, the style of traveler has changed. They're not the partiers so much as the people that see themselves as adventurers."

Andreas Tromgaard is a prime example of the emerging fan. Last week, after years of following the race in his home country of Norway, he flew all the way to Nome to watch his first ever Iditarod.

The 53-year-old Tromgaard said the Iditarod's reputation in Norway has grown ever since fellow Norwegian, Robert Sorlie, won the race in 2003.

"Sorlie has been in a lot of places telling about the race, so that has increased interest," Tromgaard said. "I think it is going to be big in Norway."

St. George said stories like Tromgaard's are becoming increasingly more common as the international community participates in the Iditarod.

"The people who come all the way to Nome to watch this race are high spirited but they are not the same kind of folks we have seen in the past," he said. "They are coming from all over the world and for many of them, they've saved up for it and this is a dream of a lifetime."

As the international participation grows, St. George said it is important to continue fostering and maintaining local Alaska support. St. George said there was a time when Nome saw a lot more traffic with more people coming to watch the race finish.

"That's changed," he said, "but I think in the future you'll see a shift in the tourism industry. We're seeing more people wanting an interactive experience. The crowds have leveled out but I think we'll see the crowds increasingly wanting to take part in this event."

According to St. George, some people are now following the race via snowmachines and tour guides. When they get to Nome, many have seen the race progress and are very savvy about how to get information.

"In that respect I would say things have changed, but the same spirit is there," he said.

St. George mentioned that a lot of people outside of Alaska are more into the Iditarod than many Alaskans. As the race evolves, he said it's important to take a close look at why those people are drawn to the Iditarod and to raise the awareness of the Iditarod's rich history for visitors and Alaskans alike.

St. George was quick to point out that many Alaskans are already extremely involved in the Iditarod and take great pride in the race. Many of the founders are still alive and racing legends like 1978 photo-finish winner, Dick Mackey, roam the streets of Nome during Iditarod time, telling the old stories and passing down the history of the race.

St. George said Joe Redington Sr., the "Father of the Iditarod", embodied the spirit of the race.

"I got a chance to talk to Joe and he loved the camaraderie on the trail," St. George said. "The competition was one thing but the camaraderie, I get the feeling, was just as important, if not more and you have to maintain the integrity of that."

With over 200 media people, live Internet feeds and increasing international flavor, it might seem challenging to maintain the old camaraderie that so many Iditarod fans have grown accustom to. When Tromgaard flies back to Norway, however, it won't be the countless Internet updates or television interviews that he remembers most. Sitting in the Iditarod media headquarters, Tromgaard pulled a tiny notebook from his pocket. In it, Dick Mackey had written him a personal note about his experiences running the Iditarod.

"Just sitting down and talking to him could be the highlight so far," Tromgaard said. "I've met a lot of those old-timers that can tell some of those good stories.