Going to the dogs: not all of the business from The Last Great Race is on the trail.

• Author: Grenn, Ben

Do not pass "GO." Do not collect $200. Land on the "Free Parking" space and it's possible to rake in all the extra loot at the expense of other players' misfortune. Not much is different between the Parker Brothers classic game of Monopoly(R), established more than 70 years ago, and its Alaska Iditarod edition.

The Monopoly game is just a small contributing piece to the whole business pie of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. T-shirts, coffee mugs, key rings, hats, jewelry, other apparel, pins, calendars, books, toys, stuffed animals and school material also help provide revenue for The Last Great Race.

"Merchandise brings in about a million dollars annually," said Iditarod Executive Director Stan Hooley, from race headquarters in Wasilla. "Of course, we only net $320,000 of that amount."

And that is just the tip of the iceberg or the front of the sled.

Just as it takes a substantial bankroll to buy, sell and rent property in the board game, so, too, does it take a large amount of money to operate the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Unlike the popular board game, there's nothing fake or pretend about the cash flow in the world's longest sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. The Parker Brothers version is a mere 19-inch square board compared to the 1,049 miles of frozen rivers and tundra that are traversed in early March.

"The budget for the race this year is $3.7 million," continued Hooley, who has held his position since 1993. "Then you can add another $1.1 million of in-kind donations and sponsorships. I can realistically see our budget doubling over the next 10 years."

This year, the race attracted an original field of 109 (21 have since dropped out). Now 88 hopefuls (14 women) will team with more than 1,300 canines running down Anchorage's Fourth Avenue in the ceremonial start to begin their trek toward the western coast and ultimately finish underneath the traditional and landmark burl arches in Nome. (Editor's Note: As of press time, if all 88 mushers who signed up for the event start the race, it will establish a record. However, the field may change by March 3, race day.)

Each musher pays an entry fee of $1,850. This year's purse is approximately $850,000. Iditarod...