WASILLA -- For the fifth straight year, the restart of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will not be held in Wasilla, dubbed Home of the Iditarod.
Once again, poor trail conditions forced the restart to be moved 30 miles up the Parks Highway to Willow. The restart has been held in Willow every year since 2002 -- except in 2003, when Southcentral was so devoid of snow the restart had to be moved to Fairbanks.
The reason for the move has been the same every year: too little snow equals poor trail, sparking dog safety concerns.
Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George said the trail beyond the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, where the restart would have been staged, is thin, hard-packed and wash-boarded from snowmobile use.
He added that some parts of the trail are fine; other sections have dangerous hazards like ditches.
Eighty-three mushers riding their sled brakes, trying to hold back teams raring to run, prompted concerns that the trail would be scraped down to bare ground, St. George said.
Also, the stretch of Iditarod Trail from Wasilla to Knik goes through the Knik-Fairview area -- the fastest growing region in the state last year, according to state census data released by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
More and more roadways and driveways cross the Iditarod Trail as it stretches 10 miles along Knik-Goose Bay Road to its historic checkpoint on Knik Lake, near the home of the late Joe Redington Sr., an Iditarod founder.
Each crossing would necessitate volunteer crossing guards as well as snow to cover the plowed roads.
In Willow, mushers deal with none of that. They leave from Willow Lake and are soon running in the wilderness. As a result, most mushers prefer to leave from Willow.
St. George said the Iditarod board members prefer to stage the restart in Wasilla. A Willow restart bypasses Knik, the traditional home of the Iditarod. A restart in Willow also costs more -- about $30,000 more -- because the city of Wasilla kicks in money for logistics like parking when the restart is there, St. George said.
"It's not in our interest to move it to Willow," he said. "Wasilla helps us out."
Willow has had plenty of practice hosting the restart, but it is still a major undertaking for the tiny community where several Iditarod mushers live. Upwards of 15,000 people will be on hand to watch -- either at the starting chute on Willow Lake, at private parties in the many homes that line nearby lakes or at campsites along the trail accessed by snowmachine.
In 2005, the septic tank at the Willow Community Center had to be pumped twice before noon to keep up with the lines of people waiting to use the bathroom.
Four to five thousand cars must be routed and parked at Willow Airport.
St. George said more than 300 of the 1,800 volunteers that help put on the Iditarod work the restart.
St. George said the decision is delayed so long -- the ceremonial start in Anchorage is just eight days away -- in case the weather improves.
"We want to allow for every available opportunity to make that decision," he said. "If Mother nature decided to dump two feet, then we'd have a shot at hosting it in Wasilla."
Daily News reporter Ron Wilmot can be reached at rwilmot@adn.com or 907-352-6712.
Willow Iditarod restart
• WHEN: March 4 at 2 p.m.
• WHERE: Willow Lake
• PARKING: Willow Airport, Mile 69.5 of the Parks Highway, for $10
• SHUTTLES: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. departing Wasilla High, Wasilla Middle School, Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex and Houston High School
