Al Grillo / AP

Lance Mackey won his third Iditarod in a row last year.

At the same time, the cost of the sport is escalating, including the $4,000 entry fee — up $1,000 from the 2008 fee. Many wonder how long they can keep their teams, even though most get varying degrees of support from sponsors.

Iditarod veteran Paul Gebhardt, who has twice placed second in the race, figures it costs him $1,000 a year for each dog in his Kasilof kennel — and he has 75 dogs.

"We don't make a lot of money," said Gebhardt, 53, a general contractor in the offseason. "Even if you win, you're not going to get rich or anything. We do this as a lifestyle. But it's nice if it can pay for itself, so you're not going to the poorhouse doing it."

Iditarod spokesman Chas St. George said the cost of staging the race over a vast terrain also has gone up. Fuel used for transporting human and dog food to checkpoints and for other reasons has increased. So has the cost of straw for bedding the dogs as well as other supplies and services the Iditarod provides to mushers at the checkpoints.

"We understand the frustration," St. George said. "They're going through some tough times. We're going through some tough times."

Still, the lure of the world's longest sled dog race is too strong for some to resist, even from afar. More than a third of the field of 71 comes from seven other countries and nine other U.S. states.

Scottish rookie Wattie McDonald has spent about $100,000 preparing for the Iditarod, buying provisions, leasing a dog team, taking time off from work to train and race in Alaska.

McDonald, a Stonehaven resident, has been mushing for 10 years, but nothing close to the level of the Iditarod, which commemorates a run by sled dogs in 1925 to deliver lifesaving diphtheria serum to Nome. For him, the adventure is worth the expense, the chance to be one with his dog team across incredible wilderness.

"It's such a life-changing experience, so far out of my comfort zone," McDonald said. "Minus-50, people even mention it, I just start shaking in my boots. But to be honest with you, I just can't wait to go there."

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