Eighteen mushers left Kotzebue for Noorvik on Thursday afternoon, thankful the last major sled-dog race of the season is still able to offer prize money.
Four top-20 Iditarod finishers were in the field.
Hugh Neff of Tok was the fifth musher to Nome last month. Pete Kaiser of Bethel finished eighth, Ken Anderson of Fairbanks took ninth and Robert Nelson of Kotzebue claimed 19th.
All of them -- and 14 other mushers -- are chasing a top prize of $12,000, which is $2,000 more than last year.
The 438-mile race, which began at 4:40 p.m., passes through Noorvik, Kiana, Ambler, Shungnak, Kobuk and Selawik before returning to Kotzebue.
Defending Kobuk champion John Baker, who captured his first Iditarod victory last month, is sitting out the race. Last year, Neff finished second and Kaiser was third.
Another Iditarod racer due to race was Zoya DeNure of Gakona, who scratched in her last two Iditarods. However, DeNure fell and injured her knee just before the race, and officials allowed her husband, mushing veteran John Schandelmeier, to substitute for her.
Just getting the race started was a victory for Kotzebue Dog Mushers Association organizers, who lost $81,000 in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009.
According to the race's website, a $50,000 purse will pay the top 15 finishers.