Alaska Public Media: “For the first time in its history, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will not be finishing in Nome this year because of COVID-19 concerns. While the decision deprives many local mushers of the chance to pass their home communities, most said they understood the decision. ‘I think the Iditarod had a really tough decision. I think they made that decision in the best interest of the communities along the trail,’ said Nome musher Aaron Burmeister. That’s not to say he’s not sad about the decision. ‘My whole dream most of my adult life and since childhood, has been to bring a winning team from Nome back to Nome, and bring the victory home to Nome.'”

“Burmeister lives in Nome and trades his time between Nome and Nenana, where he trains his dog team. This will be his 20th Iditarod: He’s been in the top five finishers three times. But the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Iditarod race organizers to create an altered route, going through mostly unpopulated checkpoints. The 2021 race begins and ends in Willow, and sticks to tradition by using the southern route it uses every odd year. Teams will go to the abandoned mining town of Flat before turning back to Willow, a run of 810 miles. Most of the checkpoints are abandoned mining towns or composed of just one cabin. The largest community on the route is McGrath, with a population of 310. That means if Burmeister does get a victory, it won’t be beneath Nome’s Burled Arch. ‘The reason I love Iditarod is the communities we traveled through, the people along the trail,’ he said. ‘I feel at home on the Yukon River when I hit the coast.'”