Email not displaying correctly? View the web version

Hi, ADN Iditarod fans,

The 54th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off this weekend, and we're excited to bring you along with us.

Let's get started with some quick stats: 37 teams, 14 rookies, and 975 miles of trail from Willow Lake to Nome along the race's northern route.

It's a small field (though not the record smallest) that will depart this weekend for the burled arch in Nome, but the mushers will be treated to generally excellent trail conditions.

[Here’s what to know ahead of the Iditarod start this weekend]

Unlike last year, when a lack of snow forced the starting line to be moved to Fairbanks, there is plenty of snowpack on this year's trail. If anything, there might even be a little too much in places, according to race director Mark Nordman.

“It’s gonna be a hell of a dog race,” Nordman said this week.

Mark Nordman, race director for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, speaks at a race briefing in Anchorage on Wednesday, March 4. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Before the racing begins in earnest, mushers and their sled dog teams will take a tour through Anchorage on Saturday in the ceremonial start, which gives fans a chance to see the teams up close and wish them well on their impending journey through the Alaska wilderness. If you plan on spectating, here are a few things to know:

• Mushers will depart the starting line on Fourth Avenue downtown beginning at 10 a.m., led by this year's Junior Iditarod champion. Teams will leave every 3 minutes.

• The teams will take an 11-mile route through the city, ending at the Campbell Tract in Far North Bicentennial Park.

• There are several popular locations from which to watch the ceremonial start, affectionately known as "trailgates." Check out some of the best spectating spots here.

Isaac Teaford greets fans as he mushes through Trailgate during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod on March 2, 2024 in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

From there, it's out to Willow Lake north of Anchorage for the official race restart on Sunday. Though less of a spectacle than the Anchorage event, the restart is still expected to draw thousands of people, organizers said.

Parking can be scarce, so spectators are encouraged to take the shuttle buses that are set to run from the Wildbirch Hotel in downtown Anchorage, Wasilla High School and Wasilla’s Menard Sports Complex.

Restart events open to the public at 1 p.m., and teams will take off starting at 2 p.m.

The mushers will select their racing order during a drawing at a banquet taking place Thursday evening. We'll be there, too, in part to update our musher page with photos of this year's racers. You'll be able to find that on our website at ADN.com/iditarod. 

There are two pretty big changes to the Iditarod this year to be aware of. One is a new base of operations for the race at the Wildbirch Hotel in downtown Anchorage. 

The second is the introduction of a new class of mushers in an experiment to bring fresh exposure and revenue to the Iditarod. Kjell Inge Rokke, a Norwegian-Swiss billionaire, is one of two "Expedition Class" participants. Rokke contributed more than $300,000 to the race, which will allow increased prizes for the winner and other top finishers, among other things. 

He will be joined on the trail and helped along the way by the 2020 champion, Norwegian Thomas Waerner. 

Waerner weighs a lead dog named Gee during a vet check at the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla on Monday, March 2. (Bill Roth / ADN)

[Back for his first Iditarod since his 2020 victory, Thomas Waerner isn’t racing to win]

Canadian investor Steve Curtis will be the other Expedition Class participant. He'll be supported by three Iditarod veterans who will travel by snowmachine. You can learn more about the new mushing program here.

We'll be sending more updates on the Iditarod in the coming days, and we'll also have reporters out along the trail to Nome. Have questions for us about the race? Let us know here or respond to this email. And as always, thanks for reading!

Happy trails, 

Megan Pacer
mpacer@adn.com

P.S. If you know someone who'd like to receive our Iditarod updates, or if someone forwarded this email to you, signing up for this newsletter is free at adn.com/newsletter.

ADVERTISEMENT