Norwegian Kjetil Backen leads Iditarod

NIKOLAI, Alaska (March 9, 12:42 pm AST) - Kjetil Backen of Norway took the early lead Tuesday in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

4-time champ Swingley says frozen eyes force him to pull out

TAKOTNA -- Four-time champion Doug Swingley scratched from the Iditarod Trial Sled Dog race Wednesday, saying he had frozen his corneas along a treacherous part of the trail.

Dead moose on the trail

Several mushers reported a wolf-killed moose while traveling through the Farewell Burn between Rohn and the town of Nikolai.

King's fancy new sled may be too comfortable

RUBY -- Jeff King's newfangled sled is the talk of the Iditarod Trail, prompting curious stares from race fans, technical questions from fellow mushers and an occasional wisecrack from the peanut gallery about his Barcalounger On The Snow.

Kjetil boils to the top of pack

RUBY -- For Jeff King, the lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ended here Thursday with the pleasure of a sumptuous seven-course meal the chefs from Anchorage's Millennium Hotel whipped up for the first musher to the Yukon River.

Rookie leader

RUBY -- An hour before he was scheduled to pull out of this hilly village and onto the Yukon River, a time when most rookies are scrambling, Hugh Neff was lying on his back looking up into the night sky, alone with his thoughts.

Virus dogs the race

As Iditarod mushers were headed for Nome on Tuesday, public health officials worried that a highly contagious virus is headed there with them.

School saves up for trip to Disney World

To the communities along the trail, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is the economic equivalent of a salmon run. Revenue-generating activity builds to a peak over a few days, then dies off just as quickly. So it's no surprise that businesses adjust to take advantage of the "run" of tourists and reporters.

Sousa completes 10-day goal

NOME -- Talkeetna musher Jerry Sousa didn't enter this Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race fixated on nabbing a top-20 spot.

Cowardly columnist attacks Last Great Race

One thing you can count on about cowards is that they never show up on the battlefield.

Easy drivers

FINGER LAKE -- With the sun beating down on a springlike day and dogs snoozing quietly on beds of straw, optimism ran high Monday among rookie mushers resting here in the foothills of the Alaska Range.

Fast pack

NIKOLAI -- Wood smoke sweetened the frigid air Tuesday morning as the front-runners of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race blazed into town, and at least a few mushers settled in long enough to thaw their frozen bodies after an 80-mile, overnight run from Rohn.

Warm weather hinders Iditarod teams

Weather was becoming a concern as Martin Buser of Big Lake led a group of four dog teams to the halfway mark of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Wednesday night.

Leader's dog dies on trail

UNALAKLEET -- As the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race moved to the Bering Sea coast on Sunday, disaster struck on almost all levels for front-running Norwegian Kjetil Backen when his lead dog Takk fell dead within a mile of the checkpoint.

Seavey on last stretch chased by King, Backen

WHITE MOUNTAIN -- Looking haggard after sleeping less than two hours, Mitch Seavey of Seward left here at midday, hoping to hang on and claim his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race championship tonight in Nome.

Seavey closing on victory

SAFETY - Unheralded Mitch Seavey of Seward - a sled-dogging also-ran for much of his career - was on his way to victory in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday night.

Oldest son to Seavey: Mush like a maniac

Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey said his psychological turning point in the race came in Kaltag.

Swenson gains humanitarian award

Five-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race winner Rick Swenson crossed under the burled arch in Nome in seventh place with a confident and well-conditioned team of dogs.

Last musher finishes 1,100 miles to Nome

The 2004 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ended Monday with a show of sporstmanship that enabled duct-tape musher G.B. Jones of Wasilla to avoid the red lantern.

Top teams from 2004 will return

Entries for the 2005 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race closed Wednesday with next year's race left shaping up a lot like a replay of this year.

Death of Backen's dog strikes close to the heart

"A great lead dog,'' legendary sprint dog driver George Attla observed, "comes once in a lifetime, if you're lucky.''