Four-time champion Jeff King has made a large donation to increase the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race purse. King, a 54-year-old musher from Denali Park, is donating $50,000 to the race. The move comes after a loss of about $1 million in sponsorship money forced a drastic reduction in this year’s purse. Lee Larsen, president of the Iditarod Trail Committee Board of Directors, says he hopes King’s example will encourage others to contribute what they can to restore the purse. Race organizers announced last month that the purse would be cut by $100,000 to about $525,000 – $400,000 less than it was just two years ago. Seventy-five mushers have signed up for the 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome. The race begins the first weekend in March.
The Associated Press
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