After months of training, weeks of preparation, and days of banquets, media briefings, and photo-ops, Iditarod 2007 – the 35th running of this epic race began this morning on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage. today’s exciting atmosphere is a stark contract to what the mushers will experience tomorrow when they head out of town and onto theIditarod trail. The race starts in Alaska’s largest city, and over the duration of the race teams will go through some off the smallest, most isolated communities in the entire United States.

82 mushers and their teams left downtown Anchorage beginning at 10am this morning and made their way down an 11 mile course. Then then packed up and got ready for the re-start tomorrow afternoon in the small town of Willow about an hour outside of Anchorage. The ceremonial start included a lot of just that, ceremony. Senator Lisa Murkowski was there to honor the memory of 4 time Iditarod champion, Susan Butcher, who passed away after a fight with leukemia in 2006. Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin declared today “Susan Butcher Day”. Senator Murkowski, Nome Mayor Denise Michaels, and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich then ceremoniously cut the ribbon that signified the start of the race. Each musher had a passenger in their sled. Prior to the race fans of theiditirod bid on an online action for the privilege to ride shotgun. Some “idita-riders” paid up to 7,500.00 for the 11 mile ride.

Perry Solmonson of Plain, Washington was the first musher to leave Anchorage, and Rookie Musher Jeremy Keller from Glennallen Alaska was the last to leave. In-between you had a range of mushers from 5-time champion Rick Swenson, to a rookie who admitted he got behind a sled for the first time a month ago. About half of the teams are brand new to the race this year, not everyone is aiming to be a contender, many just want to finish.

Posted by admin on Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 at 5:27 pm.