The 2017 Fur Rondy Open World Championship Sled Dog Race will have an “unprecedented” prize purse of $100,000, race officials announced Tuesday.
The board of directors of Greater Anchorage, Inc. and the Alaskan Sled Dog and Racing Association (ASDRA) called the race “the grandfather of all Alaskan races and the world’s most challenging sprint race” in a statement about the purse.
The race takes place over the course of a few days during the annual Fur Rendezvous gathering in Anchorage. The 2017 race is slated for Feb. 24 through Feb. 26.
Normally consisting of three 25-mile heats, last year’s race was shortened to one lap from the downtown start line and back after a ride around Mulcahy Stadium. The race was almost cancelled due to a lack of snow, which had to be trucked in to accomodate the race on Anchorage’s mostly dry streets.