Anchorage, Alaska – The robust Iditrod began on Monday, but a Snow shortage He forced the iconic dog sled race to start further north and added a new route that allows mushers to overlook the arid land, while lengthening in more than 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) a relentless trip often measured in sand and wear.
The new course redirects the Mushers and their dog teams around a difficult section of trails north of the Alaska range, which is treacherous with snow and ice, but mostly incapable in dry conditions for the sleds.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race is generally announced as a 1,000 -mile race (1,609 kilometers) through Alaska. The route change means that they are now 1,128 miles (1,815 kilometers). The Mushers began their walk to the finish line in Nome from Fairbanks, the fourth time in this century, the race has been forced north from the Anchorage area.
The lack of snow in the Anchorage area also caused headaches for the organizers of the race. Saturday during the ceremonial beginning. The route similar to the parade in Anchorage usually has mushers that take a leisurely course of more than 11 miles (17.70 kilometers) of the streets and trails of the city with a winner of the auction that leads in its sled.
However, the weeks of small and new and hot temperatures in the largest city in Alaska forced the organizers to shorten the ceremonial beginning to less than 2 miles (3.22 kilometers), run over by the snow that was truck to cover the streets of the city.
There are 33 Mushers in this year’s career, tied with the 2023 career for the smallest field in history. Among them there are two former champions, Ryan Redington And three times winner Mitch Seavey.
Mushers and dog teams will fight the worst of what Alaska wild can throw them: from bad trails, soaking in frozen rivers and sea ice and possible meetings with wildlife with the won expected winner in the old Gold city of Nome on the Bering sea coast in about 10 days.
This year, the Iditarod will honor another famous Mushing event, The 1925 serum racein which sled dog teams saved Nome from a deadly outbreak of diphtheria.
