Heister follows dogs

Greg Heister, Spokane’s TV voice of Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball, is in a different kennel this week.

Heister will be anchoring reports from camera crews along the trail for daily online video coverage of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, which started Saturday near Anchorage and runs for more than a week to Nome.

Although he will provide material to the Outdoor Life Network, sled-dogging junkies prefer to subscribe to Heister’s daily Iditarod Insider reports to catch the action on the trail and behind the scenes.

“I’ve covered this race six times on snow machines in the ‘90s, but this will be the first time since 1997,” he said.

Last year the Web site had more than 1.5 million unique user hits when it was providing only stats and info out of checkpoints. The new service will add video, stories and analysis from Heister and 1989 race champion Joe Runyan.

Sign-up: An online subscription to Iditarod Insider costs $19.95 at www.iditarod.com.