a sled dog rests on a mat outside

Schooby, the old man

Nicolas Petit says Schooby “carries the world on his shoulders.”
a musher eats a meal inside

Iditarod musher Petit and his dogs chow down in Ruby after arriving first to the Yukon River town

Both the Big Lake musher and his voracious huskies were eager to eat, having made it to the Yukon River first Thursday night.
a musher talks to another man outside

Iditarod ‘made the right call,’ Seavey says of penalty for insufficient moose-gutting

Musher Dallas Seavey was assessed a two-hour penalty for failing to properly gut a moose he shot earlier in the race after it attacked his team.
a dog licks a musher on his chin

Meg, who loves to kiss

“She cheers up everybody," said said musher Mats Pettersson. "She’s happy and wants to kiss everybody.”
dogs under blankets

Iditarod mushers care for dogs, sleep, eat and repeat during their 24-hour breaks

The 24’s, as they’re called, are mandatory and a welcome reset for the weary teams.
A man looks upset

Iditarod penalizes Dallas Seavey for ‘not sufficiently’ gutting moose he shot in defense of team

A panel of race officials handed down a two-hour penalty for the infraction, which will be added to Seavey’s mandatory 24-hour rest.
a woman gazes at her sled dog

Iditarod back-of-the-pack mushers and their dogs are learning on the fly

Sean Williams is a second-time rookie and says he’s doing less screaming this year, while Deke Naaktgeboren is enjoying watching his dogs start to gel.
a musher poses with a blonde dog outside

Junior, who’s ‘a little energy ball’

Junior is the youngest dog on Two Rivers musher Matt Hall’s team, and Hall says he’s “a little energy ball.”
a musher applies foot ointment to a dog

Iditarod dream rekindled: Wally Robinson returns to the race after nearly a quarter-century

Robinson was a rookie in 2001, finishing 40th. It was his one and only attempt, until now.
a vet looks over a dog team

An angry moose and bare ground mark a brutal first quarter for Iditarod teams

Dallas Seavey recounts his moose encounter as his team rested at the checkpoint in Nikolai, about 250 miles into the 1,000-mile race.
a musher kisses her dog on its head

Mussel, the ‘snuggle bunny’

Mussel is “all business” when he’s racing, and when he’s not “he’s an excellent snuggle bunny," said Amanda Otto.
A man runs with a dog that has three legs down the street as his team prepares to run the Iditarod.

Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey shoots moose to protect his dogs, officials say

Seavey says he stopped to gut the moose, a requirement under race rules.
a close-up photo of a dog's face

Ralph, whose best friend is a cat named Meow

Musher Jessica Klejka got Ralph for a bargain.
A dog team runs through the snow

The race is on: What to know about the 2024 Iditarod

What’s the route this year? How are trail conditions? We answer those questions and more.
A man in an orange puffy jacket pushes a dog sled through the downtown streets of Anchorage.

From wilderness guide to dairy farmer, meet 4 of the Iditarod rookies headed to Nome

There are 16 rookies competing in this year's Iditarod, about 40% of the entire race field.
a musher and a dog look at each other

Paul, who loves to sing

It’s not surprising given his name. Paul is part of the the Beatles litter and he’s named after Paul McCartney.
Two dogs jump in the snow.

Our favorite 30 photos from the 2024 Iditarod ceremonial start

Dozens of mushers and hundreds of sled dogs dashed down city streets and trails Saturday for the 11-mile event.
A man in a green jacket waves to fans on a street in downtown Anchorage Alaska.

Three Iditarod champions vie for another victory

Dallas Seavey is gunning for a record-breaking sixth victory, while Pete Kaiser and Ryan Redington are both hoping to notch a second win.

Iditarod returns to 16-dog teams

The Iditarod had set the limit at 14 dogs per team just five years ago after considering the expense of flying dogs back from the trail and to make it easier for smaller kennels to race in the Iditarod.