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2012 Iditarod Sled Dog race

SLED BLOG

Top 30 Iditarod mushers to split $550,000 purse this year

The top 30 mushers in this year's Iditarod will split a combined purse of roughly $550,000, the race director said Thursday.

Yukon Quest dogs sport colorful leggings on the trail

Moore edges Mackey, Neff for Yukon Quest halfway gold

Misha Pedersen and her dog team make their way up the frozen Yukon River after leaving the Circle City checkpoint Feb. 7, 2012, during the 2012 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Mushers are traveling 1,000 miles between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon.

Allen Moore of Two Rivers won a duel with Lance Mackey and Hugh Neff late Wednesday to become the first musher to reach Dawson, the halfway point of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

Gold for first Quest musher to Dawson

Mackey leads Yukon Quest by a minute

Four-time champions Lance Mackey grabbed a narrow lead Tuesday in the 1,000-mile sled dog race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon.

FAA grounds Quest's volunteer air force

FAA grounds Quest's volunteer air force

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is without its volunteer air force program this year. Officials learned three weeks ago that the group of volunteer pilots who fly to areas of trail inaccessible by other means during the race was not conforming to Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

Neff, Sass separated by minutes in Yukon Quest

The unforgiving Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race claimed its first casualty while veteran contenders Hugh Neff and Brent Sass appeared to be turning the dog race into a dogfight as the leaders began the long run to Eagle and the Canadian border late Monday night.

Iditarod Trail will be a little tamer for this year's race

AL GRILLO / Associated Press archive 2000Jerry Riley of Nenana tries to control his sled as he heads down a hill onto the Happy River about 215 miles from Anchorage during the second day of the 2000 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This section of the Iditarod Trail will now be bypassed during the race.

Feared by rookie mushers and respected by veterans, the Happy River Steps live in Iditarod Trail infamy as a place of busted sleds and broken bones. This year, for the first time, the Last Great Race will bypass the Steps.

Iditarod elects officers

Andy Baker was elected president of the Iditarod Trail Committee's board of directors over the weekend.

Seats on Iditarod sleds are open for bidding

Anyone who ever dreamed of hopping into their favorite musher's sled at the start of the Iditarod can start bidding in the Idita-rider musher auction.

6 Iditarod champions headline sign-up list for 2012 race

John Baker ran his first Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race in 1996.

Look for an ultra-competitive Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March. Headlining the group of returning past champs is Kotzebue's John Baker, who blazed 1,000 miles in record time this year to become the first Inupiat Eskimo Iditarod champion.

Mushing season starts today

The mid-distance mushing season kicks off today with a pair of races -- the Sheep Mountain 150 and the Alaska Excursion 120.

Top 40 Iditarod mushers test clean for drugs

The Iditarod Trail Committee on Thursday said tests conducted on the first 40 race finishers came back with no sign of drug use.

Raw video: Iditarod champs John Baker and Lance Mackey

How did Kotzebue musher John Baker win the 2011 Iditarod with record speed? Will he be back next year? And how does the sport's most outspoken heavyweight feel about missing an unprecedented fifth-straight win?

TUESDAY, MARCH 22

Videos: Kotzebue gives hero's welcome to Iditarod champ Baker

Video screen grab of Iditarod champion John Baker's arrival at the Kotzebue airport on Monday.

Iditarod champion John Baker got the royal treatment from Kotzebue residents upon his return home Monday. He was taken from the airport to the school in a motorcade, and his speech was followed by traditional drumming and dancing.

Mushing couple wins sportsmanship, humanitarian awards

Aliy Zirkle from Two Rivers, rubs an antibiotic and a liniment onto Willie's legs at the Takotna checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 9, 2011. Willie is named after singer Willie Nelson.

For many dog mushing kennels, earning an honor at the Iditarod's post-race banquet is a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. But on Sunday, Allen Moore and wife Aliy Zirkle of Skunk's Place Kennel in Two Rivers earned two of the race's most coveted awards.

Wasilla musher collects her second Iditarod red lantern

Ellen Halverson of Wasilla became the only repeat Red Lantern winner in the history of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday morning.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY TWELVE

Village mushers and women finished strong this year

Led by champion John Baker of Kotzebue, the 2011 Iditarod saw a resurgence of mushers who live off the road system. Women also had one of their best years.

Mackey's winning streak ends, but he's reloading for 2012

Iditarod musher Lance Mackey signs in at the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Four time consecutive and defending champion Mackey finished in 16th place.

Lance Mackey has already set his sights on the 2012 Iditarod but admits it won't be easy to win for a fifth time. "When Rick Swenson got five (wins) there was five or six guys you had to beat. (Now) there's 20 people you have to beat," Mackey said Wednesday after finishing 16th.

Video: Baker one day after winning Iditarod

When John Baker from Kotzebue mushed down Front Street in Nome yesterday to complete his record-breaking run in the Iditarod, the sounds of Native drummers filled the celebration. One day later he talks about his reaction to the scene, and what it means to win his first Iditarod after 16 years of top finishes.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY TEN - BAKER WINS IDITAROD 39

How John Baker finally won the Iditarod

Iva Baker, John Bakers ex-wife,  and his daughter Tahayla Baker flank Iditarod winner John Baker under the Burled Arch in Nome. Baker won the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in record time on Tuesday morning, March 15, 2011.

Willow musher Ramey Smyth arrived at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race finish line Tuesday morning in Nome in record time. On his birthday. With just five hours of sleep in the previous six days. This is what Iditarod legends are made of. And it still wasn't enough to beat John Baker.

Video: The scene after Baker's victory

When Kotzebue musher and Inupiaq native John Baker made the final run of his record-breaking Iditarod up Front Street in Nome, he was greeted by Native drummers and a sense of history.

Video: Baker under the burled arch after winning Iditarod 39

Kotzebue musher John Baker, flanked by his lead dogs adorned in yellow roses, talks about his mindset throughout the race, and his confidence in his team.

Long a top contender, Baker finally wins the Iditarod

John Baker and his leader Velvet in Nome after he won the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday morning, March 15, 2011.

To the sound of Native drummers and cheering fans, John Baker and his record-setting huskies claimed victory in the 39th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race this morning in Nome, ending Lance Mackey's string of four victories and securing the first win by a Northwestern Alaska musher in the 1,000-mile race across Alaska.

Video: Ramey Smyth on trying to catch Baker

Willow musher Ramey Smyth broke Martin Buser's previous record for finishing the Iditarod this year. Unfortunately John Baker broke it first, leaving Smyth in second place, his best Iditarod finish.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY NINE

Baker, Smyth on homestretch to Nome

John Baker lines out his team to set a snow hook after arriving at the White Mountain checkpoint March 14, 2011.

John Baker dropped one dog, then drove the remaining 10 out of White Mountain at 12:04 a.m. today starting the last 77-mile sprint to Nome. In second place Ramey Smyth was to give chase 51 minutes later but hadn’t been reported out by 1:30 a.m. The trip normally takes 9 to 10 hours or so, making a finish likely between 9 and 10:30 this morning.

History suggests Baker will be challenged

Emily's mission: Dispensing the famous Nome serum

History suggests Baker will be challenged

Ramey Smyth comes into the White Mountain checkpoint in second place March 14, 2011 during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Iditarod fans looking to compare how John Baker and Ramey Smyth match up mano-a-mano don't have to reach deep into Iditarod history.

Baker, Smyth wait to make the last dash

Iditarod musher John Baker, from Kotzebue, AK, leaves the the village of Golovin during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Monday, March 14, 2011.

Just 51 minutes will separate leader John Baker from chaser Ramey Smyth when the two return to the Iditarod trail between midnight and 1 a.m. Tuesday after a final eight-hour rest in White Mountain.

Emily's mission: Dispensing the famous Nome serum

Cheers greet Baker in White Mountain

Norden scratches in Shageluk

Northwest Alaska cheers on local musher

Cheers greet Baker in White Mountain

Iditarod musher Lance Mackey, from Fairbanks drives along the Unalakleet River on his way to the Unalakleet checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 13, 2011.

Kotzebue's John Baker pulled into White Mountain at 4:03 p.m. Monday to a rousing reception. Ramey Smyth of Willow pulled into White Mountain at 4:54 p.m., setting up a sprint to the finish line when the mushers finish their layovers between midnight and 1 a.m. They'll leave White Mountain 51 minutes apart.

Can Smyth catch Baker on the Iditarod homestretch?

Iditarod musher Mike Williams Jr., from Akiak, AK, crosses from Kaltag to the Unalakleet checkpoint amid blowing snow during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Sunday morning, March 13, 2011.

For Ramey Smyth, the Iditarod has become a game of follow the leader. Taking no rest in Shaktoolik and pausing for little more than two hours in Koyuk, second-place Smyth today said his only chance to catch leader John Baker is to react when Baker acts.

Emily's mission: Dispensing the famous Nome serum

Montana nurse Maria LaFond is a passionate promoter of the legacy of Emily Morgan, a nurse who played a prominent role after mushers delivered diphtheria serum to Nome in 1925. She's been making appearances in Anchorage in this 1920s nurse uniform along the lines of what Morgan would have worn while on duty at the Nome hospital. The outfit won first prize in the Best Overall category of Gold Rush & Period Costumes at the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Miners & Trappers Ball Costume Contest earlier this month.

A traveling nurse from Montana who has been working at Providence Medical Center this winter, thinks the public should know about the frontier medicine women who dispensed that famous diphtheria serum. And what better time than right now during the 2011 Iditarod and Women's History Month?

Norden scratches in Shageluk

Rookie Musher Brennan Norden, 37 of Kasilof, scratched at 2:38 p.m. Monday in Shageluk. Norden was running last when he scratched.

Meet the Sled Dogs: Allen and Scruggs

Allen Moore's dog Scruggs can barely tolerate the Velcro-fastened booties Moore puts on his feet.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY EIGHT

Northwest Alaska cheers on local musher

Kotzebue musher John Baker pulls out of the the Unalakleet checkpoint in first place during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 13, 2011.

John Baker of Kotzebue is a hometown favorite. After years of top-five finishes, he's on the verge of becoming the first musher from Northwest Alaska to win the Iditarod title -- an achievement that would end Lance Mackey's four-year reign.

Baker is on a potential record pace

Four-time defending champ Mackey tells it like it is

Iditarod musher Lance Mackey, from Fairbanks, AK, crosses from Kaltag to the Unalakleet checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Sunday morning, March 13, 2011.

Forty-year-old Lance Mackey sat at a long cafeteria table, in 11th place, talking about what went wrong in his quest for an unprecedented fifth-straight Iditarod victory.

Video: Lance Mackey: 'People expect you to win every time'

Lance Mackey, in Unalakleet, reconciles with the fact that his streak of four-straight Iditarod championships was coming to end this race. He said both Baker and Smyth deserve the win this year.

Hiland inmates take a turn caring for dropped dogs

Inmate Daphne Morningstar gives a sled dog some attention Sunday at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, where prisoners care for dropped dogs from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

As long as anyone can remember, Iditarod dogs that are too tired or sore to keep racing have been shuttled to a safe place in Eagle River: the Hiland Mountain prison.

Baker is on a potential record pace

How fast an Iditarod is John Baker running under what have been nearly ideal conditions? Darn fast. Potentially record-setting fast.

Smyth, Gatt make push to catch Baker

Iditarod musher Ray Redington Jr. from  Wasilla, AK arrives at the Unalakleet checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Sunday morning March 13, 2011.

As darkness descended on Norton Sound Sunday night, Ramey Smyth of Willow and Hans Gatt of Whitehorse were making a final hard push to run down John Baker, who’s led the 1,000-mile marathon since late Friday night.

Baker exits Unalakleet with strong lead

Iditarod musher John Baker arrives at the Kaltag checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday March 12, 2011.

Race leader John Baker pulled out of Unalakleet a little after 9 a.m. today in Iditarod 39. Two of the mushers in the group chasing him, Hans Gatt and Sebastian Schnuelle, said this morning that they don't think they can catch him.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY SEVEN

Baker's tough coast dogs lead out of Kaltag

John Baker sleeps sitting up at the Kaltag checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 12, 2011. Baker was the first musher into the Kaltag checkpoint and he left four hours after arriving.

Kaltag is where mushers leave the Yukon River to make a 76-mile push to Unalakleet and the punishing Norton Sound coast. John Baker, who lives and trains in blustery Western Alaska, rested just four hours there before leaving ahead of a chase pack of contenders.

Jamaican musher scratches in Anvik

Meet the sled dogs: Judy and Muggles

Meet the sled dogs: Judy and Muggles

A small dog, Muggles has a Napoleon complex and doesn’t always get along with the rest of the team. That’s why he runs as the wheel dog in the back of the roster, Currier said.

Baker leading Iditarod, Mackey falls to 12th

Iditarod musher Lance Mackey, from Fairbanks, AK, mushes down the Yukon River after leaving the Anvik checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 11, 2011.

Kotzebue's John Baker and a team of 12 huskies left Eagle Island early this morning to expand his lead in the Iditarod, while four-time champion Lance Mackey plummeted from third place to 12th place and trails Baker by almost five hours.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY SIX

Sled bobblehead: Buser fights to stay awake on the trail

Iditarod musher Martin Buser, from Big Lake, AK, and Iditarod vet Bill Sampson try figure out if anything is wrong with one of his dogs as he gets ready to leave the Anvik checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 11, 2011.

In the early morning darkness between on the trail to Shageluk, Lance Mackey saw a light bouncing in the distance. Turns out it was the headlamp of Martin Buser, who later said he nodded off dozens of times.

Who's who at the front?

Baker makes strong push toward front out of Grayling

Iditarod musher John Baker, from Kotzebue, AK drives his team along the Yukon River after leaving the Anvik checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 11, 2011.

Kotzebue’s John Baker, one of the finest racers never to have won an Iditarod, thrust himself into the tussle for first place Friday night, pulling out of Grayling just five minutes behind race leader Hugh Neff.

Video: Macky in Anvik: "In my opinion Martin's out"

Lance Mackey talks about once-favored Martin Buser's current chances in the Iditarod, and throws out a few of the mushers he thinks still have the best chance to win the race.

Video: Buser's nap attacks cost him the lead

Big Lake musher, and favorite to win the Iditarod during the first half of the race, Martin Buser talks about the rigors of staying awake on the long dark Iditarod trail.

Video: Swenson has no regrets for continuing with broken collarbone

Five-time Iditarod champion Rick Swenson broke his collarbone Moday on the Happy River Steps before the Rainy Pass checkpoint. Three days into the race later, he has no regrets for deciding to push forward.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY FIVE

A trail with a view

Thor looks back at Iditarod musher Scott Janssen of Anchorage, AK just after arriving at the Takotna checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Thursday March 10, 2011.

Life's rules are different on the Iditarod trail. Defending champion Lance Mackey said this month that the race is an escape from everyday bothers -- bills, squabbles, phone calls. For many mid-pack mushers like Ed Stielstra, whose best finish in five Iditarods is 29th, the race is both professional duty and 12-day getaway.

Soft trail to the Yukon favors tougher teams

Chase pack follows Schnuelle

Soft trail to the Yukon favors tougher teams

Iditarod musher Lachlan Clarke from Buena Vista, CA leaves the Takotna checkpoint over Gold Creek during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Thursday March 10, 2011.

Behind a team of dogs he calls "elderly," Sebastian Schnuelle of Whitehorse pulled out of the abandoned town of Iditarod just before sunset Thursday to face an uncertain trail and an uncertain future.

Schnuelle heads for Shageluk

One of Iditarod musher Ed Stielstra's dogs sleeps in the sun at the Takotna checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Thursday March 10, 2011. Stielstra is from McMillan, MI.

Sebastian Schnuelle of Whitehorse pulled out of the abandoned mining town of Iditarod at 5:51 p.m. Thursday, headed for the village of Shageluk and, beyond that, the Yukon River.

Rough trails await leaders

Mitch Seavey out of race; Herbst collects halfway money

Mitch Seavey, the 2004 Iditarod champ, is out of the race with an injured hand. Race officials said early this morning that race marshal Mark Nordman withdrew the Sterling musher at the Ophir checkpoint. Meanwhile, Trent Herbst collected the $3,000 prize for being the first musher to the abandoned mining town of Iditarod, while the race's real leader, Big Lake's Martin Buser, maintained his 90-minute lead on a pack of mushers that pursued him out of Ophir early this morning.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY FOUR

As layovers end, the big dogs are ready to race

The northern lights dance across the sky over the Takotna checkpoint Wednesday night during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

It was the Iditarod on pause Wednesday as the race's big dogs spent a day in the sunny riverside checkpoint at Takotna for their mandatory 24-hour rests. Martin Buser returned to the trail at about 10 p.m. with a team competitors say is perfect for this year's hard, speedy trail.

Musher scratches after resuscitating dog on the trail

Zoya DeNure Iditarod

Reunited with the dog she had feared dead, Gakona musher Zoya DeNure on Wednesday said she was done with the Iditarod for awhile but not done with sled-dog racing.

Video: Mackey: "I've got to be realistic. I've got a team that's not 100%"

On his 24-hour layover in Takotna four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey assesses the state of his prized sled dog team.

Lance Mackey's wedding ring tattoo

Video: Buser talks about dog health, trail, strategy

As he rests on his 24-hour layover in Takotna, Martin Buser takes a few moments to reflect on the race so far.

Video: Hans Gatt says his sick team is looking better

Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, says after a day his dogs are looking better, not 100 percent "by a longshot," but their attitudes and appetites have improved.

Video: Sebastian Schnuelle on kennel cough, his elderly team and Buser

Sebastian Schnuelle's dogs also are recovering from a bout with kennel cough as he looks at a trail he says is perfect for a team like Martin Buser's but not so good for his own.

Four reach Ophir; top teams still in Takotna

Four mushers who have yet to take their 24-hour layover and hit the Ophir checkpoint in the early afternoon today. Robert Nelson of Kotzebue was first to arrive at 11:58 a.m., just one minute ahead of Trent Herbst of Ketchum, Idaho. Cim Smyth of Big Lake pulled in at 12:02 p.m. and Kelley Griffin of Wasilla arrived at 12:11 p.m.

Kotzebue's Nelson postpones layover, grabs lead out of Takotna

Meet the new Iditarod leader: Robert Nelson of Kotzebue. Without taking his mandatory 24-hour layover yet, Nelson leapt ahead of the lead pack, most of whom had, on his way out of the Takotna checkpoint.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY THREE

Warmth, pace, illness slow some top teams

As the sun comes up over the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River at the Nikolai checkpoint, Stonehaven, Scotland, musher Wattie McDonald's dog sleeps with its nose tucked in its tail during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday, March 9, 2011. On Tuesday the dog lot was full. On Wednesday morning only a few mushers were resting at the checkpoint.

This year's fast, hard trail may be perfect for Martin Buser of Big Lake, record holder for fastest finish. But several other top teams appeared in danger of overheating or flaming out as they stopped in Nikolai for macaroni salad and a few hours sleep Tuesday.

Four reach Ophir; top teams still in Takotna

Veteran Willomitzer of Whitehorse scratches

USA Today asks: Is the Iditarod sport or torture?

PETA targets Iditarod

PETA targets Iditarod

Two of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race's most accomplished mushers are defending the race that is now under renewed attack by animal rights activists after 100 sled dogs were killed at a tour business in Canada in an unrelated event.

Buser, Mackey, Schnuelle first to Takotna

Bethel's Peter Kaiser prepares his team to depart the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 8, 2011. Kaiser is in 21st place as of Tuesday night

The blur doubling as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race continued to threaten race records on Tuesday, and it was no surprise who's leading the speedsters.

Swenson: Race with broken bone 'not so bad'

Ray Redington Jr. booties up his team as he prepares to leave the Nikolai checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 8, 2011.

Rolling up plastic for his dog sled runners? That's hard. Lifting his left arm above his chest? That hurts. But mushing with what appears to be a broken collar bone isn't as bad as five-time Iditarod champion Rick Swenson expected.

Gebhardt, down to eight dogs, calls it quits

John Runkle checks in Paul Gebhardt into the Nikolai checkpoint Tuesday morning during the 2011 Iditarod sled dog race  on Tuesday March 8, 2011. Gebhardt has three dogs in the basket which he will drop. Gebhardt is also considering scratching in Nikolai. 110308

Kasilof musher Paul Gebhardt, who arrived in Nikolai today with three dogs in his sled, scratched from the race early this afternoon.

Mushers suspect kennel cough on the trail

A perennial threat to win the Iditarod says half his team is suffering "kennel cough" and eating poorly. Hans Gatt is struggling, he said, and not because he suffered second-degree frostbite during the Yukon Quest.

4-time champ Buser leads way out of Nikolai

After a rest of more than four hours, Iditarod leader Martin Buser and a swift team of sled dogs left Nikolai today at 12:31 p.m. Buser, making a bid to join Rick Swenson as the race's only five-time champion, has a full team of 16 dogs.

Video: Mackey drops dogs, says he's not feeling confident

Defending champion Lance Mackey dropped three dogs minutes after arriving in this chilly village checkpoint -- a move he says dampens his chances of winning a historic fifth-straight Iditarod.

Owens, DeNure are first mushers to scratch

Two mushers scratched this morning in Rainy Pass. Nome musher Melissa Owens, suffering from an injured leg, decided to scratch at 2 a.m. Four hours later, at 6 a.m., Gakona musher Zoya DeNure called it quits too.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY TWO

Big-name mushers suffer crazy day on the trail

Iditarod musher Martin Buser from Big Lake looks back down the trail as a musher comes towards the Rainy Pass checkpoint on Monday March 7, 2011.  Buser's team got in a tangle with Newton Marshall's team and 5 of his Buser's sled dogs got loose.  Buser is waiting to see if the musher has the last three of his dogs.  Two other dogs came previously.

Martin Buser lost some dogs for a while Monday, Rick Swenson may have broken his collarbone, DeeDee Jonrowe lost her way and Sebastian Schnuelle took a face plant. Oh, and Lance Mackey took the lead at a pace faster than the record.

Some like to use GPS, others disdain the technology

For the first time, this year mushers in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are allowed to bring personal GPS units on the trail. Race organizers have long tracked sleds by satellite, but it was against the rules for mushers to use similar gadgets to monitor their own speed and location.

Day 2 news and updates

The blistering pace of Iditarod's first 36 hours didn't cool much as the sun faded behind the Alaska Range Monday night, but the musher leading the race was a surprise.

2011 IDITAROD: DAY ONE

Restart in Willow officially launches Iditarod 39

Newton Marshall hugs a leader in the start chute during the Iditarod Restart in Willow on Sunday, Mar. 6, 2011.

To the cheers of hundreds of fans, DeeDee Jonrowe of Willow mushed her 16-dog team down the start chute on Willow Lake early this afternoon to get the 39th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race started.

Fanfare ends; Iditarod now is all business

Iditarod Restart in Willow on Sunday, Mar. 6, 2011.

Yukon Quest champion Dallas Seavey's idea of a great sled dog is one who loves to race, making supreme athleticism on the toughest trails look easy. "You can't make a dog mush 1,000 miles," he said. "They have to want it more than you."

2011 IDITAROD: CEREMONIAL START

Tailgate party sends Iditarod on the way

Scott Janssen makes his way over the bridge over Northern Lights Saturday morning. The 2011 Iditarod got under way March 5, 2011 with the ceremonial start through Anchorage.

Think of Saturday's ceremonial start of 2011 Iditarod as the tailgate party of the "last great race." It doesn't influence the game any, but there's plenty of hot dogs and Pabst Blue Ribbon and snowballing anticipation for what's to come.

'Mushin' Mortician' believes mental toughness gives him an edge

'Mushin' Mortician' believes mental toughness gives him an edge

Scott Janssen began his journey to this year's Iditarod almost as soon as he and his wife Debbie moved to Anchorage in 1985.

Scott Janssen, the Anchorage funeral director who calls himself the Mushin' Mortician, is a dog driver who comes equipped with necklines and punchlines.

Tailgate party sends Iditarod on the way

2011 IDITAROD PREVIEW

Iditarod 39 start order

Sebastian Schnuelle of Paxson/Whitehorse sits with his lead dog Skunk just days before the 2011 Iditarod. Click the postcard to watch video of Schnuelle talk about Skunk's personality, race history and vital statistics, and visit The Sled Blog throughout the race to see more sled dog profiles. Buy this photoAbout Postcards From the Trail: In preparation of 2011 Iditarod 39, we'll be sending images from more than 30 years of Iditarod races, leading up to the ceremonial start in Anchorage March 5, 2011.

Follow the mushers progress through the ceremonial start in Anchorage by tracking their bib numbers.

Valuable Van Zyle painting recovered after being stolen from elderly man

Anchorage police say officers recovered a valuable Alaskana painting this week that was stolen from an elderly man, sold to a local shop by his caregiver, and put up for sale in an Iditarod-themed auction.

Mushing mom, dad take turns behind sled

Iditarod musher Zoya DeNure sits with her team inside her truck on Friday, March 4, 2011. Her husband, John Schandelmeier, is a former Yukon Quest champion.

To 2-year-old Jona Schandelmeier of Paxson, every musher she sees on TV is either "mommy" or "daddy." The daughter of Zoya DeNure, who is making her third Iditarod attempt this weekend, Jona has grown up napping through the barking at a kennel dedicated to rehabilitating unwanted sled dogs.

Iditarod makes city maintenance crews reverse their roles

City road maintenance crews began dumping thousands of pounds of snow through the heart of Anchorage late Friday to build the in-town portions of the 20-mile-long course for the ceremonial start of the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Mackey on the competition, Quest fallout and why he doesn't need a GPS

Lance Mackey and his lead dogs Larry and Lippy under the burled arch in Nome after winning the 2007 Iditarod Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 13, 2007.

Defending Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Lance Mackey said Thursday he feels healthier and hungrier than ever as he tries for a historic fifth-straight win.

Good places to watch the Iditarod begin

Jonrowe, Redington Jr. draw first official spots

The Iditarod will have one of its biggest stars leading the charge down Fourth Avenue on Saturday. Two-time runner-up DeeDee Jonrowe drew the top bib at the 2011 Iditarod Mushers Drawing Banquet at the Dena’ina Center in front of a packed house of racers, sponsors and fans Thursday night.

Racing longer, dogs stronger

Hans Gatt pets his lead dog Kinvig after arriving at the finish line Feb. 15, 2010, to win the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in Whitehorse, Yukon. Gatt, 51, of Whitehorse ran the Iditarod a couple weeks later and finished second, trailing only four-time champion Lance Mackey.

Four years ago when Lance Mackey drove nine dogs down Front Street to claim a spot in Iditarod history, he became the first musher to win the Yukon Quest and Iditarod back to back.

Good places to watch the Iditarod begin

Iditarod fans have an array of spots where they can watch the 62 race teams make their way across Anchorage on Saturday morning. One of the best is at the end, on Campbell Tract in Far North Bicentennial Park.

Aging racers: Five decades and still going

Jeff King celebrates his fourth Iditarod win as he heads down Front Street in Nome early in the morning on March 15, 2006.

When Jeff King triumphantly drove his dog team down Front Street in 2006, he joined an elite group of mushers with four or more victories in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. He also established a record he wanted no part of -- oldest champion in race history.

New Zealand army veteran now an Iditarod rookie

At 65, New Zealand native Bob Storey is one of 13 rookies hoping to earn a finisher’s belt buckle in this year’s race. This is the first try for Storey, a former Army officer and rugby player, who believes he would be the first New Zealander to make it to Nome.

Will a rookie make mushing history?

Chatanika's Jodi Bailey, right, finished seventh earlier this month in her first Yukon Quest.

For rookie mushers attempting their first distance marathon, the prospect of racing 1,000 miles across Alaska can range between daunting and scary. Unless you're Jodi Bailey of Chatanika.

Iditarod comes down to decisions at crucial moments

Musher Martin Buser gives John Baker five as Baker leaves the Ruby checkpoint March 12 during the 2010 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Every Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race contains crucial moments that decide the fate of every musher and, ultimately, the race winner.

Drug testing returns to the Iditarod, with a twist

Photo galleries

Check out daily galleries from this year's race, and seven years worth of past Iditarods.

2011 Leader board

Track the race on the musher gallery leader board with updated results and standings.

2011 Trail map

Follow the mushers along the Iditarod trail's Southern route, with live standings at each checkpoint.

2011 Reader photos

Check out the The Last Great Race from the fans' perspective as readers post photos from every checkpoint along the Iditarod trail.

The Sled Blog

Follow the news and notes leading up to the Iditarod and, after the race begins, live from the trail.

RT @adndotcom: Iditarod musher Moore wins sportsmanship award for rescue of fellow racer. http://bit.ly/h36RF5 12:24PM
Ellen Halverson today became the Iditarod's only two-time winner of the Red Lantern http://bit.ly/eKKDo4 4:22PM
This has been among our most-viewed galleries for days: #Iditarod pics from readers: http://bit.ly/hgXUMF Mobile: http://bit.ly/fmKtmW 8:25PM
@coldfootfilms thanks! Loved your smart, funny tweets 7:10PM
Happy trails from Bob & Kyle: http://bit.ly/fHQKNX #Iditarod 6:33PM
Sleeping Lady, from the other side of the bed. We just landed in ANC. Prop still spinning http://twitpic.com/4ai0mr 5:15PM

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Video: Ceremonial start

Crowds line the streets of Anchorage, Alaska, as the ceremonial start of the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race gets underway on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

Mushing with diabetes

Veteran musher Bruce Linton talks about his approach to mushing, and live, as an insulin-dependent diabetic.

Time-lapse video

Watch the set-up and festivities downtown for the ceremonial start, pulled from 20 hours of web cam footage and condensed into 68 seconds.

Iditarod newsletter

Sign-up for the Iditarod newsletter to receive "Postcards from the Trail," archived images sent out in the weeks leading up to the ceremonial start, and then our twice-daily updates during the race.

2011 Trail map

Follow the mushers along the Iditarod trail's Southern route, with live standings at each checkpoint.

Slide show: Takotna

Good location, tasty food and delicious pies make the Takotna checkpoint a favorite resting spot for mushers.

Susan Butcher memorial

This photo retrospective covers more than two decades of Iditarod racing.

AnchorageCloudy 29° (31°/26°)

Skwentna Cloudy 18° (28°/13°)

McGrath Sunny 9° (20°/)

Kaltag Partly sunny 8° (24°/)

Unalakleet Sunny 27° (30°/15°)

Nome Partly sunny 26° (28°/14°)

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