Wealthy Entrant Buys His Way to Iditarod Finish as Dogs Pay the Price: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Nome, Alaska –

Kjell Røkke—a Norwegian billionaire who paid the Iditarod at least $300,000 to participate—just became the first to cross the Iditarod finish line. As a non-competitive musher, he was permitted to swap dogs out during the race, wasn’t subject to standard minimum and maximum numbers of dogs, and was not required to take the rest breaks mandated for other mushers. Røkke’s expedition partner, Thomas Waerner, withdrew from the race yesterday after several dogs he had forced to race showed signs of kennel cough. Please see the following statement from PETA President Tracy Reiman:

The dogs paid the price for Kjell Røkke’s “expedition,” which forced them to run hundreds of miles in a grueling, deadly race that has killed more than 150 of them. Every mile meant hazards and misery for the dogs pulling Røkke’s sled, and the “reward” they’ll receive when they get home is being chained up in the snow. PETA urges Røkke to use his fortune to help—not hurt—dogs, and calls on the dwindling number of Iditarod supporters to ask themselves why they find the spectacle of dogs’ suffering and deaths entertaining.

So far in this year’s race, more than 130 dogs have been pulled off the trail, forcing those who remain to work even harder. One dog’s toenail was reportedly broken off while running, causing him to spray blood “everywhere”—and the musher admitted he didn’t notice at first. Multiple dogs on Jason Mackey’s team have developed pneumonia, and musher Jaye Foucher dropped out after facing a punishing stretch of trail with winds over 60 miles per hour, markers blown down, and conditions so severe that they battered the dogs and destroyed equipment. Musher Jessie Royer reportedly lost her entire team of dogs three times, blaming a new pair of mittens that made it hard to hold onto the sled and a crash that knocked out her contact lens—yet she still forced the dogs to continue the race.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “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.