Email not displaying correctly? View the web version

Hi, ADN Iditarod fans,

Race festivities officially kick off tomorrow, and it's time to meet the mushers of the 2026 Iditarod!

It's a relatively small field, with a total of 37 teams. There are 14 rookies, a handful of perennial top contenders and four former winners: defending champion Jessie Holmes, 2023's Ryan Redington, 2020 winner Thomas Waerner of Norway and 2019's Pete Kaiser.

Three of the teams, including Waerner's, are participating in the Iditarod's new Expedition Class program. Kjell Rokke of Switzerland and Steve Curtis of British Columbia will run with the rest of the field, but are not competing for a title and will be allowed outside help. 

Waerner, who is returning to the Iditarod for the first time since his 2020 victory, will travel alongside Rokke.

“We are not competing with any other mushers, but we are competing against time," Waerner said this week.

You can find information about all of this year's participants — including their bib numbers, hometowns and competitive history in the race — on our musher page or at ADN.com/iditarod.

As for this weekend, we're excited to have you with us as we cover the Iditarod's ceremonial start in Anchorage and the official restart in Willow.

Here's a quick reminder of how both of those events work:

Teams will depart the ceremonial starting line on Fourth Avenue beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, leaving every three minutes for an 11-mile jaunt around the city. This is a high energy, fun-filled day for fans, and a chance for mushers to get a big send off before heading out into the wilderness. 

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

If you plan on spectating, some good places to watch the ceremonial start include:

• Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage

• The intersection of 16th Avenue and Cordova Street

• Eastchester Park and Goose Lake Park

• The Tozier Track 

Sydnie Bahl and her handler mush down Cordova Street during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod on March 1, 2025 in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

From Anchorage, teams will head to Willow Lake for the official restart on Sunday afternoon. Events will open to the public at 1 p.m., and mushers will begin leaving the race chute at 2 p.m.

Organizers expect up to 20,000 spectators to attend the restart, and parking options can be pretty limited around the recreational site. Shuttle buses are set to run from the Wildbirch Hotel in downtown Anchorage, Wasilla High School and Wasilla’s Menard Sports Complex.

Anna Berington drives her dog team across Willow Lake during the restart of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 5, 2023. (Bill Roth / ADN)

You can find more information on this weekend's events, plus trail conditions and other Iditarod details, here. And be sure to check back at ADN.com/iditarod for more coverage over the weekend as the race gets underway. 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