Mushers in the 23rd running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race took their ceremonial departure from Alaska's largest city Saturday, making a relaxed run down a path of trucked-in snow in sunny 20-degree weather.
The teams drove 20 miles to suburban Eagle River before packing up for the day. This year, racers are carrying paying passengers out of the starting gate as a marketing ploy to help balance a tight Iditarod budget.Bidders bought their way into each of the 58 sleds for the first seven miles. Minimum bid for the ride was $500, and most of the musher wannabes came from the Lower 48. Race organizers collected $35,000.
One rider was Gov. Tony Knowles. He took off in jeans, a zippered parka and a musher's hat with a sponsor name on it.
Knowles rode with defending champion Martin Buser. While most of the paying passengers sat in the sleds, Knowles stood on the runners in front of Buser.
On Sunday, the racers line up in the same order in Wasilla, about 45 miles from Anchorage, and the race begins for real. It ends in the historic Gold Rush community of Nome, 1,100 miles away. The first musher will arrive in about 10 days.
"I'm ready to get out of town," said veteran musher Dee Dee Jonrowe before the start. "You spend so much time preparing."
Bill Cotter, who drew the first musher's spot, left at 10:02 a.m. Thousands of spectators cheered the mushers down the street.
Musher fashion is as variable as the trucks that carry their dogs. Some are flashy and some are dog-yard beaters.
Former champion Jeff King took off in a flag-red jumpsuit. Buser arrived in a bright blue truck and went out in well-coordinated blue and black.
The Iditarod's only five-time winner, Rick Swenson, added a pair of pink sunglasses with bright yellow frames and a dog-print sticker on one lens.
Veteran Matt Desalernos of Nome airfreighted his dogs to Anchorage and brought the transit boxes to the start on a flatbed truck. He mushed onto the trail in basic black coveralls and a well-used orange hat.
Desalernos drew the second-to-last starting position. But he said he has a good bunch of dogs and was hoping to be the first to reach his hometown. His best finish was seventh in 1993.