Party on the Iditarod trail

March 8, 2005

CASEY RESSLER/Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

For the mushers and the canine athletes, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a grueling test of endurance, perseverance and raw athletic ability. For the rest of us, however, it's all about the last big party of the winter.

Sunday was no exception, as Alaskans and tourists alike gathered in Willow for the Iditarod's restart. For many, it's the closest they will come to the Last Great Race.

"We got to see all the dogs as the mushers were unloading them, and get right there to see the mushers getting ready," said Katie Franco, who said she was attending her first Iditarod event. "There probably aren't too many other things where you get so close. It was like if you got to go out on the field before the Super Bowl or something."

Franco was part of a large group that made the trip to Willow for the restart. Her boyfriend, Greg Truby of Anchorage, said the restart is much better than the ceremonial start held in Anchorage every year.

"Last year, I went down to the start in Anchorage, and everything seems so much more official down there," Truby said. "The restart was definitely more fun. It's a lot more casual."

On Willow Lake, spectators lined the starting chute as the mushers made their way to the starting line. For those on the sleds, Sunday marked the beginning of a long trip to Nome, filled with twists and surprises around every turn of the trail.

For the spectators, however, it was their one shot at seeing the faces of the mushers they have followed in the newspaper and on television.

"We always follow the Iditarod. We love to come out and have a good time and see all the mushers," said Tony Geary, another race fan. "This is the biggest event in Alaska, and you can drive right up and see it all start. Our kids love to come and see the dogs and all the things they hear about."

The Iditarod has restarted in Willow the last three years due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Wasilla area. When the race restarts in Wasilla, Knik-Goose Bay Road comes alive in an early March celebration. The Willow restart has a different atmosphere, but it doesn't dampen the celebration for those who make the trip north.

"Yeah, we like Wasilla better, but it's one of those things that you just go where the race is going to be," Geary said. "It's a lot more convenient when it has started in Wasilla, but it's still fun up in Willow."

For Iditarod fans living in Alaska, the race's start offers the only "tailgating" chance of the year.

While college football fans are familiar with the practice of barbecuing in the parking lot outside a stadium prior to kickoff, Alaska's remote location doesn't afford such chances - except for Iditarod Sunday.

Truby and his group brought their small propane grill and a cooler full of hot dogs and beverages - but they didn't realize they couldn't drive right up to the restart. Instead, they left the grill back at the parking lot, and packed the cooler to the restart, which they got to by riding the shuttle buses.

"That was a bummer," Truby said. "We left the grill, but we weren't going to leave the cooler."

When Truby's group was asked who they hoped would win, answers varied greatly, with Martin Buser and Jeff King mentioned several times. DeeDee Jonrowe's name was also brought up, along with Rick Swenson's. Of the 10, however, they had one unanimous thought.

"I just hope it's an Alaskan," Franco said. "It's our race."

For those from the Lower 48, the Iditarod restart was a chance to not only see the race, but also to visit Alaska.

"I'm having a terrific time - the Alaskan people are the best I've ever met in my lifetime," said Rick Hanna of Las Vegas, who came to the restart in a full-body black bear suit he had made in Kotzebue by a Native woman.