Alaska News

Iditarod 39: 8 Things to know

HAPPY IDITAROD WEEKEND!

The ceremonial start -- the Mardi Gras-meets-Macy's Day Parade of dog mushing -- begins at 10 a.m. today in Downtown Anchorage.

Mushers will leave the chute on Fourth Avenue every two minutes. Just find a place to park and follow the barking.

Here's what you need to know as 62 teams of as many as 16 dogs each begin the 1,000-mile trek to Nome:

Here comes history

Either Lance Mackey of Fairbanks wins his fifth-straight Iditarod -- a first in race history -- or Mackey fails to defend his title for the first time since he started winning in 2007.

Mackey was also the first to win four in a row.

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Five titles would tie the most held by any musher, Rick Swenson of Two Rivers. Swenson is in this year's race, along with Martin Buser of Big Lake, another four-time champion who holds the record for the fastest race ever: 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, set in 2002.

Headed south

The Iditarod alternates between a northern and southern route. On the southern route, taken in odd-numbered years, the path travels through the ghost town of Iditarod.

The 1,000-mile distance is an estimate. Even global positioning systems on sleds don't count every twist and turn of the route, mushers say, and the exact length of the trail is unknown.

Battle scars

Some top mushers are still recovering from last month's bruising Yukon Quest, another 1,000-mile race from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Fairbanks. Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, who finished second in last year's Iditarod, suffered second-degree frostbite on his fingers and scratched. So did Hugh Neff, who was ninth in the 2010 Iditarod.

Yukon Quest Race Marshal Hans Oettli called the cold, windy race the toughest ever.

A top contender who didn't take a beating in the Quest? Mackey, who sat out the race and says his team is "100 percent."

Don't take it personally

Surrounded by throngs of fans, many of the sled dogs will be nervous today at the ceremonial start Downtown. So will many of the mushers. Advice from mushers: don't pet the dogs unless you ask first, and don't take any grouchiness personally.

40-somethings

The average age of mushers this year is about 43 years old, with 15 women and 47 men. About three out of four are Alaskans. Nine of last year's top 10 finishers are back. Missing is four-time champion Jeff King of Denali Park. The oldest: Bob Storey of New Zealand is 65. The youngest: Cain Carter, the 19-year-old stepson of Mackey.

A New Generation

Last year's Iditarod rookie class was particularly strong with four rookies among the top-30 money winners -- and eight among the top 40. Half of them return this year -- Mike Williams, Jr. of Akiak (26th), Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon Territory (27th), Peter Kaiser of Bethel (28th) and Kristy Berington of Kasilof (39th).

Last year's top rookie, Dan Kaduce of Chatanika, just scratched from the weather-pounded Yukon Quest, but the family is represented in this year's Iditarod. Wife Jodi Bailey, who finished seventh in the Quest, is aiming to become the first rookie to finish the two races back to back.

On TV

Live coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. on GCI Cable channel 1. (As opposed to KTUU Channel 2, which has broadcast the start in recent years.) There will be a live uplink to Alaska Rural Communications Service (ARCS) broadcasts statewide.

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The real start

The race starts for real 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow.

Iditarod start order

Contest: Pick this year's Iditarod winner

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