Iditarod

Allen Moore, sometimes known as the Southern Gentleman of Mushing is an elite sled dog runner, who’s path from small-town Arkansas to mushing fame surprises even him.

Set up for Saturday’s ceremonial Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race start in Anchorage means dumping thousands of pounds of snow on downtown streets.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off this Saturday, as mushers and their teams begin cross a thousand miles of the Alaska wilderness. But this year the event is mired in scandals: Fallout from a dog doping fiasco, a musher mutiny, and unprecedented pressure from protest groups.

An attorney for four-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey released a toxicology report Wednesday that he says proves the musher did not drug his dogs in last year’s race.

The Iditarod Official Finisher’s Club called for the immediate resignation of Iditarod Board President Andy Baker. The club’s letter to the board, first reported by the Anchorage Daily News, said Baker has “jeopardized the integrity of our whole livelihood through his poor leadership.”

A confidential report looking into the financial sustainability and leadership of the Iditarod race’s governing body says the race is in trouble. Iditarod officials are planning to implement a series of reforms later this year, but not until after the race wraps up in March.