Iditarod Dog Sled Race 2015: Dates, Start Time, Route and Event Info
In the realm of major world sporting events, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is iconoclastic. There is little else like it in terms of organized competition.
2015 will see the 43rd edition of this nearly 1,000-mile trek across the great, vast state of Alaska. The racers, or mushers as they are called, will pack their sleds and work with their teams of huskies and malamutes to win this world-famous competition.
The Iditarod transcends sport in many ways. It's a monumental feat of human—and canine—endurance.
The participants experience days of hardship traveling across the Alaska wilderness, without spectators. Mushers and their dogs experience everything from sub-zero temperatures with diabolical wind chills to blinding snow erasing the horizons. There are food drops at various checkpoints of this week-long competition.
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You don't see the Cleveland Cavaliers chowing down on frozen meals when they start to get a bit jelly-legged in the fourth quarter.
The Iditarod is truly one of a kind, hence the nickname "The Last Great Race on Earth." For those looking to keep up with the race, here is the necessary event info.
2015 Iditarod Key Dates, Start Times
Ceremonial Start Date, Time: Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. AKT (2 p.m. ET)
Ceremonial Start Location: Downtown Anchorage, Alaska
Restart Date, Time: Monday, March 9, 10 a.m. AKT (2 p.m. ET)
Restart Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Route
2015 will see a major change to the event route. The restart—the point at which the actual race begins—has traditionally taken place in the town of Willow, with the finish line roughly 1,000 miles away in Nome.
This year, however, the mushers will head from Anchorage to Fairbanks for the restart. According to Christine Dell'Amore of National Geographic, this is only the second time the event has been moved, and a lack of snow appears to be the inciting force for change:
"A lack of snow in the Alaska community where the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race traditionally begins has forced organizers to move the starting line about 300 miles (480 kilometers) north, to Fairbanks, for the second time in the event's 43-year history.
Recent helicopter surveys of the Alaska Range near Willow, the town just north of Anchorage where the roughly 1,000-mile (1,600 kilometer) race usually begins, revealed that "snow conditions were worse in critical areas than in 2014 and therefore not safe enough for the upcoming race," the Iditarod Trail Committee said in a statement.
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The ceremonial start may seem superfluous to some, but its a major portion of the event. The mushers have an opportunity to meet fans in Anchorage and get an early feel for weather conditions before the real test begins. Making sure the trails are packed with snow is a major task for event organizers. Alaska Dispatch News provided a glimpse of workers putting the snow together:
There are a total of 16 checkpoints between Fairbanks and Nome. The distances between the checkpoints tend to shorten as the competitors tire and the conditions worsen.
The longest segment of the race is from Tanana to Ruby, a distance of approximately 119 miles, per Iditarod.com. The shortest stretch after the restart is Golovin to White Mountain, a breezy 18 miles. If anyone was wondering just how daunting the Iditarod is, consider this: The final checkpoint before Nome is called Safety.
Preview
A total of 78 mushers are set to compete in this year's contest. Two of the most notable contenders are Dallas and Mitch Seavey.
Dallas, Mitch's son, is the defending champion and set the Iditarod course record in compelling fashion last year. He completed the race in just eight days, 13 hours, four minutes and 19 seconds, a mere two minutes and 22 seconds ahead of runner-up Aliy Zirkle, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).
It was Dallas Seavey's second victory and second record-setting performance. He became the youngest person to ever win the Iditarod at the age of 25 back in 2012. The elder Seavey also has an age record. He's the oldest person to win the race, crossing the finish line first in 2013 at 53 years of age.
The Seaveys will likely face stiff competition from Zirkle and Lance Mackey, who won the race four years in a row from 2007 to 2010.
Of course, the stiffest competition comes from the trail itself. This year could prove to be tougher than most with the new restart point and uncertain weather conditions. Suzanna Caldwell of Alaska Dispatch News notes that the last time the race started in Fairbanks, back in 2003, nearly one-third of the 61 mushers to start the race ended up scratching.
Danny Seavey, Dallas' brother, thinks the race could prove to be full of overlooked challenges.
“It’s almost a perfect storm for catastrophe,” Seavey said, per Caldwell. “There are a lot of factors at play, and none are the ones people are looking at.”
Treacherous as it may be, the Iditarod will mush on. The event has been progressively faster since its inception in the early '70s, but this year's unique challenges could prove to be a setback for some.
Note: A map of the race can be found at Iditarod.com.
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