Iditarod

Iditarod musher Jed Stephensen said the 3-year-old dog is "just a constant explosion."

Some mushers were trying to calm their nerves Sunday, and others had nerves of steel.

Iditarod mushers took their sled dog teams on an untimed, celebratory fun run from downtown Anchorage on the city’s trails, with hundreds of fans cheering along the way. We hear from mushers and fans – maybe the pitter patter of little dog feet – as well as a joyful bride, a grumpy bear, a curious moose (or three), a former Miss Alaska and her mom, who had a fox on her head, and more!

Thirty-three teams and dozens of sled dogs dashed down city streets and trails on Saturday, ahead of the official race start Sunday.

With just 33 teams in this year’s Iditarod, many are questioning how the organization can keep attracting mushers to the expensive sport.

Meet Moose, the “heart dog” for KattiJo Deeter.

How are Iditarod trail conditions? Why so few mushers this year? We answer those questions and more.

That's right, it's Iditarod time, and we're back with another season of Iditapod. In the first episode of our seventh season, host Casey Grove and trail reporters Lex Treinen and Ben Matheson discuss the smallest field in race history and how a quarter of the mushers in the 2023 Iditarod are rookies. We also recap last year's race, talk about the legacy of the late four-time champion Lance Mackey and we even have a Dog of the Day, a spunky little leader named Dusty.

Meet Dusty, a leader on Iditarod rookie Jennifer LaBar’s team.

More than one in four competitors in this year’s Iditarod are rookie mushers.

Nearly all of last year’s top dog teams are returning to the Iditarod, though some of the mushers have changed.

The three-day sprint mushing event brought veterans and rookies alike, all competing for the glory and prize money in front of a packed crowd.

From frosty dogs to frosty mushers.

The once-iconic 1,000-mile race has splintered into separate, shorter races on the Alaska and Canadian sides of the border.

First climate change and now financial worries are forcing some competitors to stay off the trail this year.

All race checkpoints will now be road accessible, a change that could increase entries before a sign up deadline that’s been extended until Friday.

Alexie beat the second place finisher, veteran Pete Kaiser of Bethel, by 14 minutes.

Hugh Neff has finished the Iditarod 13 times, placing as high as 5th in 2011. But over the past few years, he has had trouble in both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest.

As the Iditarod has become more competitive, the middle- to back-of-the pack mushers who made it more of a cultural event have struggled with rising costs.

Some legendary careers are winding down. Other mushers are taking a break. All are grappling with higher costs in an already-expensive sport.