ANCHORAGE — Mushers pumped their fists and high-fived fans Monday as they set out one-by-one on the world’s most famous sled dog race, a nearly 1,000-mile trek through the grueling Alaska wilderness.<\/p>\n
The grandson of a co-founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was the first competitor on the trail in Fairbanks, in the heart of the state.<\/p>\n
Ryan Redington, 33, of Wasilla led the other 70 mushers out of the chute nearly a half-century after his grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., helped stage the first race in 1973.<\/p>\n
The contest has a staggered start so fans, including 2,600 schoolchildren, can cheer on the competitors, who leave every two minutes.<\/p>\n
One race rookie, 53-year-old Roger Lee, threw his fist in the air as he took off from the chute.<\/p>\n
Lee was born in California to British parents and grew up near Liverpool, England, listening to the Beatles and harder rock groups. He has seen AC\/DC in concert 157 times in 16 countries, according to his race biography.<\/p>\n
Lee spent 10 years with the British Army Air Corps before moving to America, where he serves with the Air Force. He took a one-year sabbatical to train for the Iditarod.<\/p>\n
The fan-friendly ceremonial start of the race was held Saturday in Anchorage.<\/p>\n
The competitive start is normally held a day later in Willow, about 50 miles north of Anchorage. But that start would have taken mushers over the Dalzell Gorge, where a lack of snow has left alders exposed on the trail and open water in places that normally would be frozen this time of year.<\/p>\n
Winter conditions were not a concern in Fairbanks, where the temperature was minus 35 degrees Monday morning. The start was delayed a day to give mushers time to drive their dogs 360 miles north to the city of about 100,000.<\/p>\n
Eighty-four mushers signed up for the race, and 13 scratched. The latest was Otto Balogh, a 40-year-old rookie from Budapest, Hungary, who cited health concerns when dropping out of the race two hours before it began.<\/p>\n
Dallas Seavey, 30, has won four out of the last five races. He feels no pressure to get a record-tying fifth win, and is fully cognizant that winning streaks can only go for so long.<\/p>\n
“And I’m truly OK with that, as long as I can look back on the race and know I ran my team to the best of their ability, and we all had a good run,” Seavey said.<\/p>\n
He received $75,000 and a new pickup for winning last year’s race.<\/p>\n
Jeff King, a four-time champion wearing dark sunglasses, hugged friends before taking off. He then slapped hands with fans as his dog team went through the chute.<\/p>\n
Last year, King and musher Aliy Zirkle were attacked by a drunken man on a snowmobile in separate assaults near the village of Nulato. One dog on King’s team was killed, and other dogs were injured.<\/p>\n
The attacks prompted a rule change to allow mushers to carry satellite or cell phones.<\/p>\n
Zirkle has told The Associated Press she sewed a satellite phone into her parka as a safety precaution after last year’s attack, which left her shaken. She finished third last year and has five straight top-five finishes.<\/p>\n
The Iditarod hasn’t had a female winner since the late Susan Butcher won her fourth race in 1990. Asked at the ceremonial start if it’s time for another, 58-year-old Cindy Abbott said: “It is. That would be awesome.”<\/p>\n
But she readily admits it won’t be her. The Beatrice, Nebraska, native and former California college professor suffers from a rare blood disorder. She said she can’t run at the level of sleep deprivation that is required to win the race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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