PETA Statement: Iditarod CEO Throws in the Towel

For Immediate Release:
June 26, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA President Tracy Reiman in response to today’s announcement that Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach is stepping down from the position after seven years:

Rob Urbach strutted into the Iditarod with big ambitions but is slinking out in disgrace, leaving behind five dead dogs, hundreds more injured, a mass sponsor exodus, and musher sign-ups at rock bottom. He tried everything to salvage the Iditarod’s rotten reputation, but couldn’t stop the bleeding as Alaska Airlines, ExxonMobil, Chrysler, and a parade of other sponsors abandoned this death race. Whoever fills his shoes will inherit the same toxic mess and leave behind the same grim legacy: more dead dogs and more suffering. PETA is urging the next CEO to transform the Iditarod into a world-class endurance race with only willing human athletes, such as cross-country skiers, or even snowmachiners.

At least 157 dogs have died in the Iditarod since its inception—including a four-year-old dog named Charley who collapsed and died after being forced to run more than 800 miles in the 2026 race. Other dogs who died on Urbach’s watch include Ventana—a dog in a late stage of pregnancy who collapsed and died on the trail after being forced to run more than 300 miles—and three young dogs named Bog, Henry, and George, who were raced to their deaths.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.