Iditarod race route shortened to eliminate loop to Flat

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Iditarod Race Marshal Mark Nordman says the race route is being shortened to eliminate the loop to Flat.

Nordman says the decision to shorten the route was made because there is too much snow to break trail in that area. The race will now loop back at the Iditarod checkpoint.

“The Iditarod trailbreaker crew has had a challenging time breaking the trail open due to the sheer volume of accumulated snow, and has been unable to dig out a safe, well-marked trail to allow teams to travel to Flat,” Nordman said in a press release Wednesday.

Nordman says the decision won’t affect any mandatory layovers. The new route will be about 832 miles in length.