Expenses for the Iditarod

Long before race day, these hardy men and women spend exhausting hours training their dogs, perfecting equipment, improving technique and gathering supplies and sponsors. Each musher is required to carry a number of items in their sled during the race. Such as: snow shoes, ax, dog booties (to prevent the pads of the dogs paws from sharp ice or jagged rocks along the trail) cooking stove, sleeping bag, ice hook, high quality meats and a commercial dog food (for a team of 16 dogs). additional dog food and supplies must be flown in to as many as 23 check points along the thousand mile trail. As you might imagine, this is an expensive sport. The entry fee alone is $1,850.00. Though some mushers lease dog teams from various professional kennels, many mushers raise and train their own dogs, choosing among them for Iditarod-caliber canines as the race draws near. The average expenditures for a musher to run this race ranges between $20,000 to $30,000.

Below is a breakdown of some of the items necessary for the Idiatrod Sled Dog Race:

   Iditarod Items  
  Total
   3 tons of dog food
   @$1800/ton
  $ 4800
   3 tons of meat
   @ $900/ton
  $ 2700
   Approximate vet. bills
-
  $ 200
   Misc. Kennel Equip.
-
  $ 200
   Harnesses
-
  $ 200
   Lines, hooks, misc. items
-
  $ 200
   Sled Repair and costs
-
  $ 550
   Dog Booties
   @ .83 cents apiece
  $ 1,250
   Protective Dog Coats
   for the coast
  $ 250
   Headlamps
-
  $ 200
   Entry Fee for Iditarod
-
  $ 1, 850
   After, flight from Nome to Anchorage
-
  $ 500
   Ship food to checkpoints
   2000lbs/.25 lb
  $ 500
   Extra Sled Equipment
-
  $ 500
   Freeze dried dog food
-
   $ 500
   Lithium batteries
   50/$10 each
   $ 500
   Misc. Costs
  unexpected events/needs
   $ 300
   TOTAL
.
   $16, 200


Not all these items are "musts." Freeze dried dog food, while nice, isn't an absolute necessity. However, it's light and won't spoil, which can be a problem on the trail as the food has to be shipped early and stored. Nor are lithium batteries a must, tho' they are more dependable in the frigid temperatures. This list isn't making any claims to tell you that the drivers HAVE to have such and such equipment. It's simply making an effort to list what the average driver might put on a "wish list."

Additional expenses for the race season:
Iditarod requires rookies to run a minimum of 2 qualifing distance races, totalling 500 miles. I will be entering 2 teams in each race (one will be my main team and the 2nd will be my handler running alternate dogs) the Knik 200 - Entry fee is $200.00 x 2 and the Klondike 300 - $350.00 x 2 = $700.00

 

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