End of the trail, the Iditarod finish line in Nome/NPS photo - Nome, Alaska 
Peace on drugs
The doping manual for the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is now out.
Gone is the “strict liability” rule that made mushers responsible for a doped team unless they could present evidence to demonstrate they didn’t juice the dogs.
In its place is a new sense of cooperation.
“A drug testing violation is extremely serious, likely resulting in substantial penalties and career damaging consequences,” it says. “For many reasons, precautions should be taken to avoid such a scenario. This includes a joint effort by mushers and the ITC (Iditarod Trail Committee.)”
The latter appears to have taken to heart the complaints voiced by four-time Iditarod champ Dallas Seavey after his dogs were found to be doped in 2017. He protested that Iditarod was supposed to protect mushers, not bust them.
The race is now advising mushers on how to avoid trouble.
“Prevention measures generally include the following: musher knowledge and respect for clearance times of commonly used medications,” the manual says.
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