Mar 5, 2011 - Ready, set, mush. The 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins this weekend, with Lance Mackey seeking an unprecedented fifth straight win in the "Last Great Race on Earth." The 39th running of the race opens with a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage Saturday morning (2 p.m. EST), followed by the official restart in Willow on Sunday (6 p.m. EST). The temperature Saturday morning in Anchorage is 1° (one), with a high forecasted at 22°.
The Iditarod is an annual race from Anchorage to Nome, covering around 1,100 miles through the cold, harsh, unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. The race aims to honor Alaska's pioneering and brave past.
The Iditarod Trail ... had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the interior mining camps ... Mail and supplies went in. Gold came out. All via dog sled. Heroes were made, legends were born.
In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs.
DeeDee Jonrowe, a cancer survivor, three-time runner up in the Iditarod and record holder of the fastest time ever recorded by a woman, will be the first of 62 teams out of the chute Saturday morning. But the focus will be on Lance Mackey, who has won a record four consecutive Iditarods and will be looking to make it five straight in 2011. A fifth win would match Rick Swenson for the most by any musher (Swenson and Martin Buser, a four-time champion who holds the record for the fastest time ever -- 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes -- are also competing in this year's race).
Mackey, who beat throat cancer in 2001, made history with his fourth win in 2010, earning his place among mushing's greatest ever (see adorable picture of Mackey and his lead dogs here). The 62 teams of mushers and their dogs are racing for $50,400 this year. The top-30 finishers will split the $528,000 purse, down from $875,000 in 2008).
On Wednesday, the mushers brought their dog teams to Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla for the mandatory veterinarian check-ups. It's a chance not only for the vets to ensure the health of all the dogs, but it also gives the mushers a certain peace of mind.
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