Todd Palin & Partner Drop Out of Iron Dog Race

Todd Palin won't be picking up his fifth Iron Dog victory in this year's 2,000-mile snowmobile race: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's husband has dropped out of the competition because of an injury to his partner. A crash broke the handlebars and springs on Scott Davis's snowmobile and exacerbated a back problem. Conditions on the route from Big Lake to Nome and Fairbanks were brutal, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The weather has been unseasonably warm, resulting in deep ruts and killer bumps, reports the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

"It was as bad as I've ever seen it," said Davis of the race that sees more starters scratch than finish some years. "It's pretty torn up. It's going to be one of those survival years." He added that retirement from the race is a possibility. "We probably could have slugged it out with the kids, but when you're 140 miles behind and a couple of hours down, you wonder if it's worth it." (More Todd Palin stories.)