How do mushers benefit from running their dogs in the Iditarod?
Many thousands of dollars in prizes are awarded to the winning mushers. The largest prize is given to the musher whose team crosses the finish line first. However, prize money is also given to teams who first reach certain points along the trail. Mushers who are hired to be in corporate advertisements receive substantial financial benefits, as do mushers who reap royalties from the sales of books they write or the speeches they give. These corporations turn their face away from the cruelties the dogs are forced to endure. More mushers will receive prize money than ever before: ‘This year (2000), the Iditarod Trail Committee plans to hand out a record purse of more than $525,000 divided among the top 30 finishers – not just the top 20, as in years past.” – Staff and wire reports, Anchorage Daily News, March 13, 2000 Swingley, the 2000 race winner, hopes to profit from breeding his lead dog: “Swingley also noted that if the teams behind him are interested in help, Pepy the lead dog is av
