Starting Line

I just found this video from one of my Iditarod sources and thought it was pretty amazing. This is 10-sled dog teams starting the Saskatchewan Championships. Remember, mushers can only control their teams with verbal commands and an anchor hook that digs into the snow.  There are no reins or leashes or other control devices.  The harness keeps them together and in place and pulls the sled. This is awesome, but could you imagine if that was 66 16-dog teams?  That's over a thousand dogs hyped up and ready to run!  Yowza!

The start of the Iditarod is a bit more controled (and safer, I think).  The race has started in downtown Anchorage since 1983. The teams leave the start line at the corner of 4th and “D” at two minute intervals, starting at 10 a.m. This is a ceremonial start and does not count in the overall time to Nome.

On the following day, Sunday, mushers will again line up for the restart in Willow.  At 2:00 PM, the first teams will depart on their way to Nome, leaving in 2 minute intervals until all of the teams have left.   The clock starts for the mushers as they leave the starting line. The difference in starting times is ‘made up’ on a musher’s 24 hour mandatory layover.