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Iditarod tests oil field technology to track mushers

Musher Lance Mackey pets his dogs as he prepares to leave the Pelly Crossing checkpoint on Feb. 18 during the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in Canada. Mackey won the race in 10 days, 14 hours and 14 minutes. PHOTO: AP

It's always been impossible to witness the entire length of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race except, of course, for the competitors. Many top contenders like it that way.

But organizers say fans will get the next best experience in the 36th running of the 1,770km race, which begins with a ceremonial start on Saturday in Anchorage. Race buffs around the world will be able to follow online the virtual progress of 20 veteran mushers whose sleds are rigged with technology derived from instruments used to track oil-pipeline inspection tools.

"Basically, it winds up looking like a video game, but it's a way to watch a representation of an event that's happening many thousands of miles away -- in real time," said Jerry Miller with IonEarth, a satellite race tracking company based in Traverse City, Michigan.

The company is teaming up with the Iditarod and Iridium Satellite LLC for the test run they hope will become an annual feature involving all mushers. Among mushers and fans, however, the concept is generating some mixed reviews.

The 850g units carried by mushers will emit logistical data every 15 minutes that will instantly be processed by Iridium's global network of satellites and wind up as a free service this year on the Iditarod's Web site. Iditarod and IonEarth officials say the Web link will be up and running by the time the competitive race begins on Sunday in Willow, about 80km north of Anchorage.

The tracking system is a slightly simplified application of technology used in highly complex devices that monitor "smart pigs," tools sent through oil pipelines to assess their condition.

Race personnel equipped with similar devices and working in remote locations will be able to monitor the mushers. Fans will see where the dog teams are along the trail. Also posted will be speed, direction, altitude and temperature, as well as supplementary musher bios.

But the idea of closely tracking the race is not entirely embraced by some mushers and contributors to a new fan forum on the Iditarod Web site.

Many mushers closely guard their strategies involved in running the world's longest sled dog race. For example, they can use rest times along the trail to conceal their true speed.

And for many fans, not knowing where mushers are between checkpoints adds to the mystery.

Last year's champion, Lance Mackey of Fairbanks, said that as a competitor, he understands the worries. But they're negligible concerns, considering the benefit to fans, said Mackey, who last March became the only musher to win both the Iditarod and the 1,609km Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in the same year.

"If it wasn't for the people following the race, there wouldn't be a race at all," said Mackey, who won his fourth consecutive Yukon Quest last Wednesday. "It's minimal what we're being asked to do, so I'm all for it. It doesn't mean anyone can catch me."
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