Visual Stories

Photos: The Yukon Quest begins in Fairbanks

Twenty-three mushers and more than 300 sled dogs are off and running in the 2016 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

The 33rd edition of the 1,000-mile race started Saturday morning under cloudy skies that cleared later to sunshine. Mushers are headed to Whitehorse, Yukon, on a trail that retraces historic mail and supply routes along the Yukon River.

Thousands of fans lined both sides of the start chute in downtown Fairbanks, cheering as the dogs, some jumping in their harnesses, held their lines taut. One by one, three minutes apart, the sleds lurched forward and on down the trail, under the Wendell Avenue bridge and onto the Chena River.

Read more: 23 mushers, 300 dogs hit trail for 1,000-mile Yukon Quest

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