Medical Park Family Care drops Iditarod sponsorship

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Medical Park Family Care has become the latest name to drop its affiliation with the Iditarod.

They join others like Exxon Mobil, Wells Fargo and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey that are pulling their sponsorship from the race.

Twelve mushers, including defending champion Thomas Waerner of Norway, have dropped out of this year’s race, leaving 53 teams. That’s among the three smallest fields in the last two decades, and all in the last three years. Last year, 57 teams started the race and 33 finished. In 2019, 52 teams began the race.

This year’s race has been cut down to 860 miles. The race will start on March 7 and end near Anchorage; the race will not run to Nome as usual.

Alaska’s News Source reached out to Medical Park Family Care for comment on the reason why they’re dropping sponsorship but did not hear back in time of publication.