This Year’s Iditarod Sled Race Underway In Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Hundreds of sled dogs and thousands of fans have lined up along Anchorage’s Fourth Avenue for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The 16-dog teams leap and bark when it’s their turn to leave the chute for an 11-mile run across Alaska’s largest city. The actual competition will start Sunday in Willow, about 50 miles to the north.

Seventy-one teams are entered in the 1,100-mile trek to Nome.

Defending champion Lance Mackey, seeking his fourth consecutive win, is among five past Iditarod winners in this year’s field.

Also running is Hans Gatt, who in February became a four-time winner of the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Mackey also has won that race four times.