An independent panel is investigating reported dog abuse by Iditarod musher Ramy Brooks. The Healy musher acknowledged he hit his dogs with a trail marker in Golovin. Witnesses have said his actions were much worse. In a separate incident, Brooks finished the race with a dead dog and was disqualified three days later.
Are new rules needed to govern race operations and behavior? We checked in with musher Zack Steer, a member of the Rules Committee (though not a spokesperson for the committee).
They’ve been trying to figure out how to assure that the dogs get enough rest ever since the race started. If they add a mandatory rest stop at a checkpoint then most racers will run right through other checkpoints to get to the rest point. If they mandate rest at every checkpoint (equal run/equal rest) then noone will stop in between checkpoints.
You could calculate run times between checkpoints and mandate an equal amount of rest at the checkpoints of the musher’s choice instead of at every checkpoint.
But really I think dogs are still going to get tired and a few are going to die no matter how much they rest because of chaos theory- i.e.- stuff happens…