2003 tesoro iron dog race plans for wasilla finish

The March board meeting of the Tesoro Iron Dog ended with major changes to the Iron Dog race. The board voted to alternate the race route beginning in 2003 where it will start in Fairbanks, head to Nome and finish in Wasilla. The 2004 route will start in Wasilla. head to Nome and finish in Fairbanks.

For several months the Tesoro Iron Dog Board of Directors has been gathering information, which included a survey, about alternating the Iron Dog race route. Information was gathered from people who are interested in the race or might be impacted by changes in the race route. The majority of those responding (68%) were in favor of giving the race a new look.

The board's desire is to remain responsive to ideas that might make the race better. Their hope with this move is that it will give the race a different challenge for both veteran and rookie racers.

"As soon as we finish wrapping up the 2002 race, I plan to contact the other races that use the Iditarod Trail and work hard to fit our race into the 2003 race schedule for the betterment of all races," said Iron Dog Executive Director Pam Sadloske. "We've made great strides in working together, I think this change could potentially work well in both trail breaking and trail grooming efforts, if we can time things right and if (of course) Mother nature treats us well."

The Board also passed a motion to allow for the Pro class to run open CC. This allows for the new 4-stroke - environmentally friendly engines to be put to the Iron Dog test. The Tesoro Iron Dog is much more than a race about speed. A racing team must plan a strategy that will get both them and their machines across 2000 miles of remote trail. It is about partnership, being a good mechanic, knowing how to survive in the wilderness - keeping a level head.