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The spectators flock to the city center of Anchorage when Iditarod -Zeremonial start starts in 2025

The 17 -year -old junior -iditarod champion Emily Robinson, 17, on Saturday morning, March 1, 2025, during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Dog Race along the Fourth Avenue in downtown Ankerplatz. (Loren Holmes / Adn)

On Saturday morning, Musher began to start from the city center of Anchorage during the ceremonial start for the SLED Dog Race 2025 Iditarod Trail.

They were led by a familiar face: the four-time junior iditarod winner Emily Robinson has started the last three races, as well as the tradition for the reigning junior champion. But there were also many changes for this year's thousand miles to Nome.

While the scene in the city center was predictably full of fans and spectators, the artificial snow path, which Musers was in a otherwise snow -covered landscape, was directed.

The course, which usually extends almost a dozen miles along the hiking system from Anchorage, was cut off to less than 2 miles and ended in the Sullivan Arena.

Racing veteran Jason Mackey was the first Iditarod Musher who was on Saturday, March 1, 2025, during the ceremonial start of Iditarod Trail Dog Race in the city center of Anchorage in the Fourth Avenue. (Loren Holmes / Adn).
Rookie Samantha Lalonde from Farmington Hills, Michigan, will be built on Saturday, March 1, 2025, during the start of ceremonies of the Iditarod Trail Dog Race through the city center of Anchorage through the city center of Sled Dog Race. (Loren Holmes / Adn)

The 33 Musher, who took part in the 53rd annual run of the race, also started on Saturday with just eight sled dogs instead of the usual maximum of 16th racing veteran Jason Mackey from Fairbanks, Robinson was the first of this year's competitors to take off the starting line.

[Meet the mushers of the 2025 Iditarod]

With fewer areas to see the temporary teams, the frequency of the Fourth Avenue and the Cordova Street sat down to see how Musers fly by.

The spectators gather near Cordova Street and the Fourth Avenue on Saturday, March 1, 2025, for the festive start in the city center in the city center (Loren Holmes / Adn)

The spectators packed the sidewalks three to four people deep on blocks around the start in the Fourth Avenue, with photographers and cell phone video patients knocking.

The relative lack of snow in SouthCentral Alaska also forced changes in the restart, which is traditionally held on the day after the start of the ceremonies in Willow, and marks the point when the race officially begins.

Less than two weeks ago, the racing organizers decided to move the restart in fair banks in the interior of Alaska, and racing drivers will seriously start their trip to Nome on Monday morning instead of Sunday.

The changes to this year's route mean that Musher travel on 1,128 miles, which is the longest idiTarod so far.

[What to know about the smallest, longest, flattest Iditarod yet as it begins in Anchorage and Fairbanks]

Dogs on New Hampshire Musher Bailey Vitelless team rest on Saturday, March 1, 2025, before the Iditarod -Ceremonial Start in the city center of Anchorage. (Megan Pacer / Adn)

This is a developing story. Have a look after updates.

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