In a closed-door meeting of the Iron Dog Board of Directors on Tuesday night in Anchorage, the operating board for the Iron Dog snowmachine race voted unanimously to coordinate and continue toward a 2019 Iron Dog race.
The race date is scheduled for February 17th, 2019 according to the Iron Dog website.
The possibility of a race cancellation for 2019 and even the dissolution of the Iron Dog came to a head preceding Tuesday’s board meeting as the Iron Dog has experienced loss of board members (currently only 9 of 18 board positions are filled with the resignation of Jim Wilke and Skip Boomershine) and the loss of a title sponsor in 2016 with the National Guard pulling its title sponsorship. The Alaska National Guard stepped in as a title sponsor in 2009 when Tesoro pulled its sponsorship. The Iron Dog board is also working without an executive director.
The 2019 Iron Dog race will, like the 2018 event, not have a ceremonial start in Anchorage as a cost-cutting measure. More race details will be worked out and information made available through the Iron Dog website at www.irondog.org.