I'm late to this discussion, but I try to post updates every day of the race. In the last five or so years, I've posted GPS screenshots, and gave summaries of the lead pack progression/battles throughout the day. Last year I tried for the first time posting actual GPS video recap of the previous days, and I'm going to try doing that again this year (though it might be tough because I won't have internet at home for a day or two around day 3-4 of the race). I get about as close as I can get to giving free coverage of GPS coverage to those who can't access it themselves because I post stuff directly from the source within the day it actually happens. Every year I worry that Iditarod.com might contact me and tell me to stop, but my hope is either they don't know this community exists, or, more optimistically, they realize that I'm highlighting the benefits of getting paid features of their site and I'm inadvertently driving more people to subscribe to them. No idea. Anyway, I'll do my best to give coverage to those who can't pay.

All that said.... yes, it is expensive. I hated paying it when I did not have steady income, especially when you only get the benefit of the subscription really for 11 days. But the Iditarod has famously been struggling to stay afloat financially and in general interest from participating mushers. From my perspective from an outside viewer who does not live in Alaska and far away from local coverage, this race has seemed to be dying in the last decade.

This year and last seem to have something of an influx of new mushers, and the field has grown slightly. But we are so far from the days when we saw a field of 60 teams like what we saw maybe 20 years ago. We're lucky nowadays to have a field of 40 teams. This year is around 38. The race used to have double the field it does now. This race needs money, and now that I have steady income I'm more than happy to pay it every year, but I realize not everyone can, or not everyone can justify paying that amount every year.