11/22/04- Bid Online for a Seat in the Idita-Rider
News Release
Anchorage, Alaska – Nov. 22, 2004
IDITA-RIDER AUCTION STYLE
Experiencing the thrill of Alaska’s Last Great Race -- the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- is available to those adventure-seekers who are the highest online bidders in the 11th Annual Idita-Rider Auction. The inaugural online auction kicked-off in early November to bid on an exclusive ride in the sled basket of an Iditarod musher for the first 11 miles of the 33rd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The online bidding has received overwhelming response and already has more bids than this time last year.
“People are so computer savvy that this year we decided to make the bidding an online process, ” said Deby Trosper, Idita-Rider Musher Auction Coordinator. “It’s more user-friendly and it allows bidders to save time and stay on top of their bidding.”
People are bidding to be a part of the excitement as more than 1,000 barking dogs, prancing in brightly colored fleece booties, will be on snow-covered Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, March 5, 2005, anxiously awaiting the start of the 33rd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Teams of 16 eager dogs prepare to bolt from their starting positions with mushers and lucky Idita-Riders, tucked snugly in the sled baskets, in tow.
Bidders may place their bids, check on the status of their bids, and onlookers can watch the bidding frenzy at www.iditarodauction.com. Minimum bid is $500 or the “Buy Now” price before bidding begins is $7,500. The bidding will close noon, January 21, 2005. Proceeds from the auction directly benefit the individual mushers in the form of prize money.
More than 500 people have participated as Idita-Riders since the program began in 1995,” said Stan Hooley, executive director for the Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc. “Several of the participants have come back for a fifth or sixth time because it was so much fun.” Past celebrity Idita-Riders include comedian Joan Rivers, actress Susan Lucci, former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley, and Gary Collins.
More than 80 mushers are expected to compete and each will carry a winning bidder. For more information on the Iditarod, explore www.Iditarod.com.
Media Contacts:
Erika Siegel
Public Relations Manager
toll free: (800) 446-5352 x 331
direct: (907) 257-2331
esiegel@anchorage.net
Deby Trosper
Idita-Rider Musher Auction Coordinator
toll free: (800) 566-7533
deby.trosper@iditarod.com
