Iditarod gets started today … and again Sunday

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Mushers will struggle to slow their fired-up dog teams as they sprint through downtown Anchorage during the Iditarod’s ceremonial start today.

The ceremonial start is only an 11-mile precursor, mostly to please Anchorage fans and tourists. Some 83 mushers and dog teams – about 1,340 dogs in all – will be trucked to Willow for Sunday’s official start of the world’s longest sled dog race.

At more than 1,100 miles, Iditarod mushers lead their teams over snowy tundra, mountain ranges, avalanche country and frozen seas and rivers en route to the coastal town of Nome in western Alaska.

The restart was pushed 25 miles north to Willow from race headquarters in Wasilla for a third straight year because of scarce snow. In 2003, the restart was moved more than 300 miles north to Fairbanks because of too little snow.

Crews had to dynamite several trails in the Dalzell Gorge to lower the avalanche risk after a snowmobile volunteer breaking trail for the Iditarod was killed there in February by the sliding snow.

“We were successful in eliminating the majority of potential residual risk to wilderness travelers,” said race director Stan Hooley.

The Iditarod, in its 34th year, passes 24 checkpoints in a string of towns, villages and wilderness cabins.

The endurance race commemorates a dogsled relay in 1925 that carried serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome to stop a diphtheria outbreak.

This year’s top 30 finishers can expect to split a $795,000 pot. Another $40,000 will be divvied up among the remaining arrivals to Nome. The winner will pocket $69,000 and receive a new pickup valued at almost $45,000. Last year’s pot totaled $737,000.

Alaskan mushers, who make up most of the field, are aiming to hold off the Norwegians, who have pooled their dogs to win two of the last three races.