| On March 6th, 2005, the ceremonial start of the Iditarod took place in downtown Anchorage, AK. These dogs had quite a bit of energy as demonstrated by the jumper to the left. Warm temperatures mean that the first 11 miles of the race are run in Anchorage with actual race beginning in Willow, AK (roughly 40 miles North of Anchorage). From there, the mushers race 1049 miles to Nome, AK. The Iditarod race is based off the historic Nome serum run, in which dog teams carried medication to Nome when the town was stricken with disease with no medication to fight it. This year's winner, Robert Sorlie of Norway, completed the race in just over 9 days. |
