ANCHORAGE — Want to volunteer to help with this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race? Learn how at a pair of public meetings this month in Anchorage and the Mat-Su.

The first volunteer meeting will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel, race organizers said. A second meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m., Jan. 12, at Iditarod Trail Committee headquarters at mile 2.2 Knik-Goose Bay Road.

For more information, call Joanne Potts at 376-5155 ext. 103. Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the race is welcome to attend, organizers said.

The race begins March 2 with a ceremonial start in Anchorage. Defending champion Dallas Seavey has signed up to return to the trail along with 2012 runner-up Aliy Zirkle and past champions such as John Baker, Lance Mackey and Jeff King, among others.

Twitter updates: twitter.com/adn_kylehopkins and twitter.com/iditarodlive. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334 or email him at khopkins@adn.com.