Iditarod: World's Most Famous Sled Dog Race Is Now Longer Than Ever

Photo : AP

This year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will be the longest ever because there is not enough snow. The race organizers had to change the path, adding more than 100 miles (161 km). Now, the total race distance is more than 1,100 miles (1,770 km). This means the mushers and their dogs will have to travel even farther through the cold and tough Alaska wilderness.

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Fewer mushers are taking part this year, matching 2023 for the lowest number ever. Only 33 mushers will start the race, while the highest number was 96 in 2008. The lower number of mushers has made people worry about the future of the race. The Iditarod is facing problems like rising costs, criticism from animal rights groups, and the effects of climate change.

For the fourth time in history, the race’s starting point has been moved to Fairbanks because there is little or no snow in Anchorage and other places along the trail. The event will begin with a small start in Anchorage on Saturday, but the real race will start in Fairbanks on Monday. The first team is expected to reach the finish line in Nome in about 10 days.

The Iditarod has a long history in Alaska. The first race was held in 1973, making this year’s event the 53rd. The first race had 34 mushers, which is just one more than the smallest number of mushers in 2023 and 2025.

Before snowmobiles, sled dogs were very important for travel in Alaska. They helped carry mail, supplies, and even people from one village to another. During World War II, sled dogs were used by the Alaska Territorial Guard, also called the "Eskimo Scouts," to watch the western coast for possible Japanese attacks.

By the 1960s, sled dogs were not needed as much because of snowmobiles. But as Alaska’s 100th anniversary of joining the U.S. in 1967 came closer, people wanted to celebrate old traditions. Dorothy Page and Joe Redington Sr. thought of a long-distance sled dog race to honor the old Iditarod Trail. This trail was used to carry mail and supplies from Seward to Nome. Their idea led to the start of the Iditarod race.

This year, the race will also honor the 1925 Serum Run. In that event, sled dog teams rushed across Alaska to bring medicine to Nome, saving many people from a deadly disease.

Each musher must start the race with at least 12 dogs and can have up to 16 dogs on the team. This means there could be as many as 528 dogs running in the race. But for the small ceremonial start in Anchorage, mushers can only bring 8 dogs each. This means there will be 264 dogs in that part of the race.

People often call the Iditarod a 1,000-mile (1,609-km) race, but the exact distance changes. The race has different routes to allow more small villages to be used as stops. In odd-numbered years, the race follows the southern route and covers 998 miles (1,606 km). In even-numbered years, it takes the northern route, which is 975 miles (1,569 km).

This year, the race will be the longest in Iditarod history. Because of the lack of snow, organizers had to change the route, making it 1,128 miles (1,815 km) long.

Even the small ceremonial start in Anchorage has been affected. Usually, mushers and their dogs travel 11 miles (17.7 km) through the city, but this year, they will only go for 2 miles (3.2 km) because of poor snow conditions.

Despite all these changes, the mushers and their dogs are ready to race. They will continue this important Alaska tradition, showing strength and teamwork in the wild.

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