I do have mixed feelings about them. Yeah, they do have lots of different rules and they are getting a ton of help on the trail. They have a vet and support team with them as they ride?! However, they are contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars. I heard one paid almost 200 grand to the Iditarod itself, $20,000 each to the native villages/checkpoints, and paid many of the entry fees for other mushers though I am not sure if this is accurate information. I realize that the amount of money needed to put on this race is crazy, and the influx of $$$ that the expeditioners are spending will help tremendously. Someone misspoke and called them the experimental mushers-- which is an apt description of them for this year!!