Our view: Tougher for rookies

Not only do rookie entrants have to complete qualifying races with respectable times, their performances and dog care are graded by the vets and marshals of those races and the grades passed on to a five-member Iditarod qualifying board.

It's not enough to punch a ticket by finishing a race. You have to run well and show you can take care of yourself and your team under race conditions. You need the recommendation of an Iditarod veteran who attests to your ability.

The qualifying board ultimately decides whether a rookie entrant will run the race, or whether he or she needs more miles on the runners.

That's a far cry from the race's early years, when what former race marshal Pat Hurren called a "race without prejudice" required little more than the minimum age of 18, an entry fee of $1,049 and the ability to get sled and dogs to the starting line.

Alaskans of a certain age can recall a sense of freedom and adventure in those days of fewer rules. But there was a price, and dogs paid it.

Knowledge of proper dog care, nutrition and training has grown tremendously since the 1970s. So standards of dog care have followed. The race has become richer, faster and more expensive to run, and become an international event that draws worldwide attention, especially via the Internet. The "camping trip" that the race was for some mushers in the '70s is history. Now every team moves fast. Now every musher needs to know what to do and how to do it at a faster clip.

This year, the rookies had mandatory sessions in December that includes classes, a visit to four-time champion Martin Buser's kennels and presentations from Buser, DeeDee Jonrowe and reigning champ Lance Mackey. The message was preparation and attention to detail.

Boiled down to its essence, the Iditarod wants to know that rookies can take care of themselves and their dogs while racing competitively for a thousand miles. "Competitively" doesn't mean in contention to win; it means getting safely from checkpoint to checkpoint in reasonable time.

The Iditarod has grown older and wiser; in a sense it's grown from mad adventure to the big leagues. You don't get in unless there's good reason to believe you can pack the gear and drive the dogs.

It's been a natural evolution. As Dick Mackey, the "one-second" champion, once said, there are plenty of good mushers, but not all of them can run a race to Nome.

The higher bar is better for both dogs and mushers, and takes nothing away from the adventure.

BOTTOM LINE: Tougher Iditarod qualifying rules are good for the race.