The Malemiut Eskimo village of Shaktoolik has won the Iditarod Trail Committee’s 2020 Golden Clipboard award for its commitment to providing mushers the best accommodations possible given concerns over the novel coronavirus pandemic
Iditarod officials announced the award on Tuesday, April 27.
Village officials, with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state of Alaska, moved the traditional race checkpoint within the community to the site of Old Shaktoolik. With less than two days before mushers arrived in the windswept village, residents dug out an old building to accommodate the race teams and essential race personnel.
Residents of Shaktoolik made sure that the alternative location had all the necessities teams would need, including food drop bags, HEET to make a hot meal, clotheslines to dry out gear and plenty of straw bedding for their dogs.
Shaktoolik is the last checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail before a stretch of flat, frozen ground that takes mushers over the sea ice of Norton Bay. On that portion of the trail, teams often face fierce coastal storms that make staying on course difficult.
“This year all of our communities stepped up to make sure the mushers had a comfortable landing spot as they made their way to Nome,” said Mark Nordman, race marshal.
The mushers appreciated Shaktoolik’s efforts to go above and beyond for the race teams and will be forever grateful, he said.
