Saturday we attended the ceremonial start of the Iditarod sled dog race which goes from Anchorage to Nome, over 1000 miles. For the ceremonial start the mushers drive their teams through Anchorage along several miles of the city's extensive recreational trail system. Fans line the groomed trail cheering the teams, cooking hot dogs on grills, handing doughnuts to the mushers as they pass. It is quite a party. The musher pictured here, #2, is Martin Buser, a popular competitor who has won the race several times. He stopped his sled to greet his fans who put up these flags. This year 66 teams are competing.
A driver must have at least 7 and no more than 20 dogs on the tow line to start the race. At least 5 must be on the tow line at all times. These seemed happy and ready to run! They wear small cloth booties to protect their paws for the long trip. The booties must be replaced about three times a day during the race. A minimum of 56 pounds of dog food per dog must be distributed among 16 checkpoints along the trail. The dogs are checked by veterinarians before, during and after the race. No dogs may be added to a team once it has started out, and the musher must stay with his team and sled the whole way, no trading off. It is a grueling test!
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