Iditarod 46

Dedication, hard work, tireless caring for the wellbeing of the team and putting the interest of the whole team before one’s own agenda is what it takes to prepare and successfully run a long distance dog race. It is therefore disappointing that the same qualities that are expected from the mushers to run an honorable race are not evident in the current upper echelon of the Iditarod board of directors and the senior staff. As this edition of The Nome Nugget was put together, yet another controversy surfaced. The head of the drug testing veterinarians  approached Iditarod Official Finisher’s Club president Wade Marrs shortly before Marrs was going to pull the hook and embark on a 1,000-mile race, allegedly threatening Marrs to release the results of a drug test involving his 2017 Iditarod team. We saw the results. There was no drug controversy there. But the action of the vet was pouring oil into an out-of-hand fire. We need the Iditarod to stop squabbling, clean house and put the interest of the entire race and the well-being of Alaska’s state sport before personal agendas. Enough already. —D.H.—