The 2023 Iditarod begins on Saturday with an official start in Anchorage and then the official start of the race in Willow.
Then, 33 muses as well as hundreds of sled dogs will take the 1,000-mile trek to Nome.
This is the smallest of teams from the history of the Iditarod However, it’s also a intense one.
Here’s what you need to be aware of about the race this year:
The date for the Iditarod begin?
The race starts with a ceremonial parade in Anchorage on March 4.
Sled dogs and their mushing companions will meet in the downtown area early that morning to prepare.
At 10 a.m. They’ll set off one by one every few minutes starting at 10 a.m. from Fourth Avenue, near D Street. They’ll travel through city streets along the trails, and then finish in Campbell Airstrip. Campbell Airstrip.
These are the places to view the event from. The crowds gather all on the trail to watch the event, however, certain hot spots include downtown and the hill that is along Cordova Street and the Trailgate event located in the Eastchester Park area.
The official race starts on Sunday.
Following the ceremony Mushers and their dog teams will drive to Willow to begin the official event in the afternoon at two p.m. in Willow Lake. They’ll depart at two minute intervals, before returning towards Nome.
The Iditarod states that those who want to attend the start are advised to look at the signs along the Parks Highway in Wasilla and at Houston High School that will contain information about parking available.
What’s the trail’s route for this season?
The trail will run between Willow to Nome through what is known as the Iditarod refers to as it’s “southern trail.” The teams haven’t used that route since the year 2019.
The initial portion of southern routes is identical to the northern part. After teams have made it to Ophir and then cut south across into the Beaver Mountains to the ghost town of Iditarod. There’s lots of river flowing throughout Shageluk, Grayling and Anvik before joining the main trail that runs through Kaltag.
Southern routes are longer and is believed to be more difficult due to the mountains and a lot of mushing on this vulnerable Yukon River.
What are the conditions on the trail?
In general, extremely good According to Race Director Mark Nordman.
The snow has destroyed a lot of Southcentral including the first portion of the trail leading that leads towards Rainy Pass Lodge.
Then, the teams have to take on one of the most notorious trails, Dalzell Gorge — a narrow trail that is with a number of steep downhills as well as some difficult turns. Nordman declared that the gorge was in good shape.
Then things get difficult He claimed that the road that runs from Rohn to Nikolai has been ranked among the worst moguls in race history.
“Imagine an actual washboard but each ridge on the board is four feet high,” stated Nordman, “So it’s just this upward and downward as well as up and down.”
From there the trail is in good shape up to the town that is now a ghost Ophir was discovered, said Nordman. The snow level isn’t quite as high as what he’d like between Ophir to Shageluk although some snow is predicted.
Once the mushers have reached the coast, there could be some redirecting.
Traditionally, teams travel across the sea ice in Norton Sound and Golovin Bay However, winter storms have driven some of the ice. It’s not clear if muses will traverse the ice or go on an alternative route through the land.
Who’s racing at this time in the race?
It’s 33 players registered including a lot of the top 10 last year’s muses. That includes reigning champion Brent Sass and 2019 winner Pete Kaiser, plus Jessie Holmes, Dan Kaduce, Richie Diehl, Ryan Redington and Aaron Peck.
Related: All eyes are on Brent Sass in highly competitive Iditarod field
There are also nine mushers who are who are hoping to get to the Nome finish line for the first time, which includes an Denali climber, an ex- Anchorage garbage truck operator, and the father-son pair.
Related: Meet 5 Iditarod rookies
Notable absence: There aren’t any Seaveys competing this is the first time they’ve been absent in nearly twelve years. A five-time champ Dallas Seavey said he’s sitting in the sun for a time to be with family. his father, three-time champion Mitch Seavey, said he’s taking a break for a year in order to let his body heal. Both have teams of dogs competing in the event: Kelly Maixner is running dogs from Dallas as well as Christian Turner is running Mitch’s team.
Here’s the complete list of teams..
Why is there such a lack of racers the year?
The Associated Press crunched some figures and discovered that the median number of mushers who took part in the Iditarod in the past 50 years was 64. The most high? The highest was 96 in 2008.
So 33 teams are not the largest field ever and it’s one-third of the size that is typical.
It is reported that the Iditarod community has offered various reasons for the low turnout.
There are a few of them:
There are some Iditarod mushers who have decided to quit mushing over the past few years, and there’s no big team to take their place. In addition to the Seaveys, Aaron Burmeister and former champ Joar Ulsom have announced that they’re going on vacation to spend time with their family. They’re four times winners Jeff King and Martin Buser and the fan favorite Aliy Zirkle, are alson’t racing. The race iconic Lance Mackey died last year..
There’s also the expense. Many mushers claim that inflation is a big problem, with dog food prices increasing by more than a third in the last two years. Additionally, many have did not make the most of tourism revenue during COVID-19. Many estimate that the Iditarod requires at least an investment of $20,000, and prize money has remained stagnant over the years since the Iditarod is losing major sponsors.
The number of doggies are part of an individual team?
Mushers may start with as many as 14 dogs, and as little as 12. They should have at minimum 5 dogs pulling the sled to the line of finish in Nome.
Where do dogs go when they aren’t able to get to the final line?
Mushers are allowed to leave their dogs with vets at checkpoints for races throughout the course. The race organizers are required to provide the equivalent of four pounds of food as well as jackets in accordance with race rules..
There are many reasons that a musher could take a dog home due to illness or injuries or simply because the dog isn’t keeping up. Additionally, at the conclusion in the event, racers often reduce the teams they have to the fastest dogs.
The dogs that are left behind are transported back home to Anchorage or Nome according to their location.
Do you know of any COVID-19-related protocols in the coming year?
COVID protections are essentially removed in this season, as the vaccination requirement eliminated and no routine testing of trail. The checkpoints that were shut down in the past were open for this year. The race director Mark Nordman said that there will be an epidemiologist on the trail in the event that there are any COVID related infections.
What is the best time to expect an award?
The race winner historically has been in Nome in just eight days. This could mean that the race would be finished late on 13 March, or in the early the next morning on March 14.
How can I follow along?
Bookmark alaskapublic.org/Iditarod!
Alaska Public Media reporters Lex Treinen and Ben Matheson are headed out on the trails this year. We’ll be posting stories and pictures from the pair online at alaskapublic.org and on 91.1 FM.
Also, keep on your watch for most recent episode of the Iditapod podcast, which is currently in seventh season. You can stream it to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you can access your podcasts.
In addition we also have our Iditarod newsletter! Join here. While the event is on, we’ll email you daily digests of the most recent Iditarod stories, podcasts and even dog stories right into your email.
Other local news sources will also be watching the race. There’s also coverage by Iditarod itself. Iditarod the race itself at iditarod.com.
Have a question we missed? Email Tegan Hanlon and Casey Grove at thanlon@alaskapublic.org and cgrove@alaskapublic.org.
