Iditarod finishes under the brand new burled arch
Building the new arch was a task of Iditarod proportions
NOME, Alaska (KTUU) - As the owner of Smyth Logwork, Ramey Smyth is highly skilled at working with logs. So when the Iditarod reached out last spring for his help, Smyth figured it was an easy job — to build a new arch for the Iditarod finish line.
Smyth is very familiar with the sled dog race; he’s competed in the Iditarod 27 times. He has the running of the trail refined to a routine. Building a replacement for the iconic finish line turned out to be not so simple.
It took a team to find the perfect burled tree. To peel and sand it. Engrave the lettering. Stain and protect it. Then ship it to Nome and put it together.
This is the third arch since the beginning of the race. For the very first race, an impromptu finish line was drawn in the snow at the last minute using red Kool-Aid.
This arch went up on Front Street in the finish position on Monday. It was unveiled on Thursday. The race usually finishes on a Tuesday. This year’s longer route and the delayed restart in Fairbanks gave Smyth the extra time to have the arch in place for the finish.
When Jessie Holmes won the 2025 Iditarod early Friday morning, he also became the first musher to pass under the new burled arch.
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