Officials Ship in Snow for Iditarod Sled Dog Race After Warm Winter

A warm winter in Anchorage, Alaska has required officials to transport tons of snow to the city for the beginning of the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The snow will come on rail cars from Fairbanks to cover the track’s initial portion and is set to arrive Thursday morning before the race kicks off on Saturday, Alaska Dispatch News reports. It’s unclear whether it will be enough to cover the 11-mile ceremonial start stretch.

“It’s no secret that warm temperatures for days on end have further eroded what little snow cover existed on the trail system here in Anchorage,” Iditarod’s CEO told Alaska Dispatch News in a statement. “We are exploring our options at this time as we very well may need to shorten our Day 1 Ceremonial Start.”

This is not the first time that snow scarcity has troubled the race: last year, organizers had to move the starting point, and the previous year, dry patches contributed to injuries.

[Alaska Dispatch News]