This has been a record-breaking January in Alaska as far as weather goes. But it's not for frigid cold or epic snowfall. Nearly the entire state has been basking in temperatures well above the freezing mark for most of January.

Colder, winter temperatures aren't forecasted to return too soon for much of the state, especially in areas slated to host some of Alaska's biggest, baddest races and events.

Event organizers have been sending out e-mail and Facebook updates on a regular basis keeping fans and participants apprised of trail conditions for contests like the Iron Dog, Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

According to the National Weather Service, McGrath a village on the Kuskokwim River, which serves as a checkpoint on the Iditarod and Iron Dog trails, set a new record high temperature for Jan. 26 of 41 degrees.

But so far, as of Monday, organizers in all three big events are confident that either the weather will shift, or routes can be changed to accommodate snowless paths, thin ice or overflow.

"The ongoing warm weather, rain and winds have created a very big mess especially for the regions near the start of the race," read a statement on the Iron Dog Web site. "While this does present concerns, challenges and doubts about what will happen — the short answer is, there will be an Iron Dog race."

The Iron Dog, a 2,000-mile snowmachine race from Big Lake, in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, to Nome and then to Fairbanks, uses much of the same trail as the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile sled dog race from Willow to Nome. The Iron Dog starts Feb. 16, while Iditarod hits the trail on March 1.

"We're obviously concerned about the current conditions, but we've got the luxury of more time compared to the Quest or Iron Dog, said Iditarod executive director Stan Hooley on Monday. "We're keeping an eye on it and we're nimble enough to figure something out to make sure we've got an Iditarod this year."

Big events like Iditarod face challenges every year with weather, but with temperatures topping 40 degrees for days on end, mixed with heavy rain, have seen snow and river ice disappear quickly. In 2003, the Iditarod start was moved from Willow to Fairbanks after the Mat-Su Valley and Anchorage area suffered warm temperatures, though nothing that drastic is in the works just yet.

Mushers have resorted to putting up their sleds and hooking teams up to four-wheelers and dog trucks to get miles on their mutts before the big event.

"It's a high burden at a critical time," Hooley said.

But, there's still a month to go before 71 dog drivers hit the trail to Nome. And conditions can change drastically in that time.

As for the Yukon Quest, which is set to take off from Fairbanks this weekend, no changes in the trail were on the agenda as of Tuesday.

"The warming trend over the last ten days has obviously had an impact on the trail conditions throughout Alaska and the Yukon," said Quest race marshal Doug Grilliot in a statement released Sunday. "Consequently, our trail teams on both sides of the border have remained in the field for an extended time. There have been absolutely no discussions to cancel or delay the race. Nor are any planned."

The trail however has been rerouted, but that happens pretty often on the Quest trail.The start line has been moved off the Chena River due to thin ice and the finish line will moved to adjust for thin ice on the Yukon River in Whitehorse. Also, 50 miles of trail between Dawson City and Eagle - the portion that goes over American Summit - has been rerouted.

"Conditions are changing daily, we will adapt as necessary," Grilliot said.

Iron Dog organizers echoed that sentiment.

"At this time, no changes are being announced," read the Website. "We have time for weather to change and will assess the situation as we get closer to the starting dates."