ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 3 (UPI) -- The organizers of Alaska's renowned Iditarod sled dog race say they're nearly doubling the entry fee for would-be mushers, from $1,860 to $3,000.
The Iditarod Trail Committee board made that decision, as well as another to reduce the field from 104 to 100 sled dog teams, to cope with soaring costs for fuel, insurance and a dispute with the Federal Aviation Commission over the licensing of the race's volunteer "air force" of airborne spotters, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday.
Another entry fee increase is coming next year, as well, when the price will likely be hiked to $4,000. Veteran Iditarod observers said the increased fees probably won't affect the elite cadre of profession dog sledders who compete for the top prizes every year, but it could price out the grizzled, hardscrabble amateurs who make the race to test their wilderness skills, the newspaper said.
"It is very unfortunate that the sign-up fee has gotten in the way of an otherwise great sporting event between mankind and the great canine athletes," amateur musher G.B. Jones told the Daily News.
Even with the increase, entry fees make up only a fraction of what it costs to stage the annual 1,000-mile race, organizers say.
