Iditarod Mushers Ready

The 23rd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will start this morning, with 58 mushers from around the world vying to be the first to get their teams from Anchorage to the finish line 1,100 miles away in Nome.

The race purse totals $350,000, with the winner receiving a record $52,500 and a new pickup truck. The top 20 finishers will get a share of the prize money.

For the first time since 1977, Susan Butcher won’t be competing.

Butcher, a four-time Iditarod champion and the sport’s best-known name, announced her retirement at last year’s Iditarod awards banquet.