Iron Dog cancels ceremonial start due to ‘tough economic times’

Officials with Iron Dog released a statement Friday saying the race will cancel its ceremonial start in Anchorage due to ‘tough economic times’. Meanwhile, the race's Executive Director Susan Duck told Channel 2 she is no longer with the race.

The board of directors made the decision to cancel the ceremonial start in Downtown Anchorage due to a lack of money and other factors. “The downtown start was a fantastic addition to our race, but it was simply too expensive and complex to continue. We look forward to another great race as we celebrate 35 successful years of Iron Dog,” said Jim Wilke, President, Iron Dog Board of Directors.

The ceremonial start began in 2015 in an effort to grow the race's audience in Alaska’s biggest city. In addition to the ceremonial start there was a Flying Iron freestyle show in downtown Anchorage. This past July, Kevin Kastner resigned as the executive director of Iron dog after being with the race since 2010. Susan Duck was named Executive Director in August; when asked to comment on this story, Duck texted that she is no longer with the race. The race is set to start Sunday, February 18, at Big Lake.