Photos: For the first time, redesigned Iditarod trophy forged in Alaska

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Bronze artist Patrick Garley works on the Joe Redington Sr trophy, which will be given to the winner of this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016 at his shop in Palmer. This is the first time that the trophy has been made in Alaska, having been previously made by a foundry in Michigan, and features a new design by Garley.

When Joe Redington Sr. died in 1999, the Iditarod Trail Committee wanted to find a way to honor the man who brought the race into existence. So they created a trophy, named in his honor, and presented it to the winner of the next Iditarod, Doug Swingley, in 2000.

Every year since then, the Iditarod champion has received the 97-pound bronze trophy, which features Redington and his lead dog Feets under the Burled Arch in Nome. But until now, the trophy was never quite right.

"The first mold I saw, it didn't look like Joe Redington," said Greg Bill, the former executive director of the Iditarod. "It looked more like Sen. Ted Stevens." He asked the Michigan foundry to make some changes, but never heard back. A few months later they got the statue, and the trophy presented to Swingly in 2000 does carry a striking resemblance to the late Sen. Stevens.

This year, for the first time, the redesigned trophy will be cast in Alaska. Palmer bronze artist Patrick Garley worked with the Iditarod, creating a new expression of the trophy, based on sketches from Bill Devine, who came up with the original idea for the trophy.

The trophy that year's winner will receive weighs closer to 100 pounds, and it will feature a rendering of Joe Redington Sr. that looks a little more like himself.

"It's an honor to be able to make this trophy," said Garley. "I don't mush, so this is my way to get to be a part of the Iditarod."