Todd Palin has entered early for the 2012 Iron Dog Race.
Palin and his partner Eric Quam have already signed up to race in the 2012 Iron Dog Race. The 2,000-mile race, starting in Big Lake with a halfway stop in Nome and finishing in Fairbanks, is the world's longest snowmachine race and requires a substantial amount of training.
The race starts this year on Feb. 19. That would mean Palin would probably begin training in December, and unless there's some sort of frigid, vast hinterland sans fences in the Lower 48 where he and his partner can run their Arctic Cats, it means that he's likely stuck in Alaska for a good part of the winter.
This could provide another clue as to whether or not Sarah Palin is planning to run for president. If she does, she'll be without her chief helpmate during the heat of the presidential primary. Four states have Republican primaries and caucuses in February.
In past years, Palin, a four time winner, has trained about 3,000 miles before the race.
Contact Amanda Coyne at amanda(at)alaskadispatch.com