The official start to the 2015 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has been moved to Fairbanks due to poor snow and trail conditions in Southcentral Alaska.
The official start is scheduled for March 9th in Fairbanks; however, the ceremonial start will still be run through downtown Anchorage on March 7th. For only the second time in the 43-year history of the Iditarod, the official start will be run in Fairbanks. The last Iditarod start outside of Southcentral Alaska was in 2003, that race also started in Fairbanks.
The Iditarod Trail Board of Directors voted unanimously for the change of venue for the official start, following a fly-over of troubled sections of the trail and increased concerns over trail conditions. The over 1,000 mile Iditarod will now start in Fairbanks and travel along the Tanana River to Nenana, then to Manley Hot Springs and the village of Tanana before reaching the Yukon River at Ruby. The race will then go to Galena before leaving the river and heading to the village of Huslia — the new halfway point — then back down to the Yukon River village of Koyukuk before rejoining the original Iditarod Trail in Nulato. The finish line will be under the burled-arch in downtown Nome.
In a related story, the 2015 Tustamena 200, which has been rescheduled for February 21st, will make a final decision on the future of the 2015 event on Friday, February 13th. The Tustamena 200 was cancelled in 2014 due to poor trail conditions.
