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ANCHOR (KTUU) – The long-awaited start of the 47th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began on Saturday, March 2nd. Channel 2 was live in the heart of downtown Anchorage, while the mushers were getting ready and rushing for the start of the ceremonies.
If you missed the start, you can watch KTUU's live coverage online below, including comments from expert mushers DeeDee Jonrowe and Libby Riddles, as well as interviews of contestants at this year's race:
The snow was trucked to the city center to compensate for the distress of the city streets, giving the road teams soft enough to run until they completed the short ceremonial race. on 4th avenue. Dogs will run from D Street up to the Campbell Runway, a distance of 11 miles, where teams load and prepare for Sunday's official restart in Willow, Alaska.
The mushers started leaving at 10 am on the starting line of 4th Avenue. and D St. in increments of two and three minutes.
The first musher to go, wearing number 1, was this year's honorary musher, worn by junior champion Iditarod. The last musher left the starting line just before noon this year.
The mushers headed for 4th Avenue, turned south on Cordova Street and reached the Chester Creek trail system once they reached 16th Avenue near the Sullivan Arena.
From there, the sled teams used the trail network to get to the Campbell airstrip, where they loaded and prepared for Sunday's departure to Willow.
The 2019 race will be watched for several reasons.
Joar Leifseth Ulsom, Norwegian champion Iditarod last year, will he be able to defend his title?
Nicolas Petit of Girdwood, who led much of the race from last year until he left the track by accident and was forced to go back, he wins. the victory this year in light of the incident last year?
Not only will these two players, but former champions Jeff King, Martin Buser and Lance Mackey, all run to the title of champion. The three men each have four wins and if they win this year, they will be tied for the most wins in the race with Rick Swenson, sometimes called the "King of Iditarod".
[READ: Iditarod 2019: What you need to know to watch the ceremonial and re-start of the race]
After the start of the ceremony, dog teams will resume in Willow on Sunday, starting at 2 am at the Willow Community Center in Willow Lake. The mushers will cross Willow, Long, Crystal and Vera lakes.
If you want to monitor the restart, the Iditarod Trail Committee indicates that your best choice is to take a shuttle. A comprehensive guide on when and where to take the shuttles is available online here.
All spectator parking will be on the other side of the highway, from the Willow Recreation Center, and will be limited. Parking is charged $ 10 per vehicle.
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