Iditarod’s ceremonial start held
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Dog teams in the Iditarod’s ceremonial start on Saturday didn’t care that the clock wasn’t running.
They just wanted to race.
Canine competitors from this year’s field of 83 teams yelped and howled, begging to run as handlers halted them at the starting line in downtown Anchorage.
Some strained forward in their harnesses in fruitless solo attempts to pull their sleds and furred teammates past Fourth Avenue’s storefronts toward the fog-veiled Chugach Mountains.
None seemed to care about conserving energy for the more than 1,100-mile journey to Nome.
“They’re pretty excited,” said Ed Iten, runner-up in last year’s Iditarod. “Racing is what they’re thinking about.”
The 11-mile ceremonial start through Anchorage gives spectators a chance to view dog teams up close and hobnob with their favorite mushers.
The race runs across windswept tundra, two mountain ranges and frozen seas and rivers, where temperatures can dip to far below freezing – not exactly fan-friendly terrain.
Pete Olhasso, of Temecula, Calif., brought a group of 180 people from 12 countries to Alaska for a ski trip, and made sure to tack on an extra day to watch the start.
“This is once-in-a-lifetime,” said Olhasso of the International Skiing Fellowship of Rotarians. “I thought it would be neat to have everyone from around the world come and see the start of the Iditarod.”
The official start takes place today, 65 miles north in Willow. The town is serving as a stand-in starting area for the third straight year because of scarce snow in the traditional start town of Wasilla.
The Iditarod, in its 34th year, passes a string of 24 checkpoints located in towns, villages and wilderness cabins.
The torturous race commemorates a dogsled relay in 1925 that carried serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome to stop a diphtheria outbreak.
Seven Montana mushers are registered for the Iditarod: four-time champion Doug Swingley, Jason Barron and Katie Davis, all of Lincoln; John Barron of Helmville; Cindy Gallea of Seeley Lake; and Terry Adkins, who has competed in 21 Iditarods, and Rick Larson of Sand Coulee. Cliff Wang of Lincoln and Joe LeFaive of Helena registered but have since withdrawn, according to the Iditarod Web site.
This year’s top 30 finishers can expect to split a $795,000 pot, up from $737,000.
Another $40,000 will be divvied up among the remaining arrivals in Nome. The winner will pocket $69,000 and receive a new pickup valued at almost $45,000. Last year’s pot totaled about $737,000.
Top finishers usually vie to arrive in Nome in nine to 10 days.