Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race competed in the Iditarod races, and in 1992 Martin Buser—a Swiss resident of Alaska since 1979—was the first foreigner to win the race. Buser became a naturalized U.S. citizen in a ceremony under the Burled Arch in Nome following the 2002 race. In 2003, Norwegian Robert Sørlie became the first non-resident of the United States to win the race. Winning ceremonies included a giant decorated cupcake with sugar coated huskeys on top. In 2007 Lance Mackey became the first musher to win both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year; a feat he repeated in 2008. Mackey
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race where they are taken care of by prison inmates until picked up by handlers or family members, or they are flown to Nome for transport home. According to Iditarod veterinarian Dr. Stuart Nelson, Jr., "Reasons for dropping dogs are numerous. Attitude problems, fatigue, illness, immaturity, injury, being “in heat,” lack of speed and musher strategy, are the more common ones." The dogs are well-conditioned athletes. Training starts in late summer or early fall and intensifies between November and March; competitive teams run before the race. When there is no snow, dog drivers train using wheeled carts or all-terrain vehicles set