ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Hundreds of barking dogs took over downtown Anchorage as the ceremonial start of the world’s most famous sled dog race got underway Saturday. As snow fell, fans lined up near the starting line in frigid, 19 degree F (minus 7.2 degree C) weather to see and cheer their favorite mushers. The competitive start to the race begins Sunday.
Here’s what to know about the 54th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which features a new amateur category and financial support from a Norwegian billionaire.
What is the Iditarod?
The Iditarod was conceived by co-founders Dorothy Page and Joe Redington Sr. as a long-distance sled dog race to honor both Alaska’s mushing tradition and the Iditarod Trail. That was a 938-mile (1,510-kilometer) freight and mail route that ran from Seward on Alaska’s southern coast to Nome, on the Bering Sea on Alaska’s western coast.
The start of the race was placed in the Anchorage area to energize residents of the state’s largest city. The late Howard Farley was instrumental in making Nome, about 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) away, the finish line…