The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will celebrate its 50th run in 2022, crossing snowpacked mountain passes, rugged river valleys and windswept Alaska wilderness.
More than 50 teams are expected to compete in the March race, which typically takes between eight and 14 days to complete. Each team consists of a driver, known as the musher, and 14 dogs that together navigate unpredictable terrain and extreme weather.
Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach described mushers as “part magician, part Magellan, part sleep-deprivation ninjas.”
“The mushers are tenacious adventure athletes,” he said. “Iditarod is a life-changing journey across roughly 1,049 miles of frozen Alaska tundra. “
History in action
The 50th Iditarod will commemorate the event’s cultural roots and history. Before the development of snowmobiles and reliable air transportation, sled dogs connected remote Alaska communities when winter weather froze otherwise navigable rivers. Teams also traveled parts of the Iditarod trail to reach gold rush-era mining camps and trading posts.
“It was the only real way to trade and get early healthcare. It helped people live a subsistence lifestyle by trapping, hunting, fishing and trading. This was how people got around and were able not only to survive, but in certain cases, to thrive,” said Urbach.
In 1973, Joe Redington Sr. and Dorothy Page led efforts to establish Iditarod race events that commemorated the state’s sled dog culture. They also advocated for the 1978 designation of the Iditarod National Historic Trail.
One of the most well-known feats in Alaska’s sled dog history is the 1925 serum run between Nenana and Nome. Twenty mushers and dog teams traveled 674 miles in harsh conditions, relaying doses of serum that protected children from diphtheria.
“Here we are, almost 100 years later in a pandemic, dealing with a similar dynamic,” said Urbach, who added that Covid-19 vaccinations are required for all 2022 Iditarod participants. “We have protocols in place to ensure that Iditarod has zero community transmission, which we achieved in the last race and the year before. Coming up on the 50th Iditarod, we’re not just honoring the culture and history of the race but also bringing awareness to community and health consciousness.”
From our archives
2022 events
Upcoming events in the Last Frontier
The Iditarod is easily the most famous and anticipated event in Alaska each winter. But it is hardly the only thing on the schedule for the coming months.
World Ice Art Championships
Where: Fairbanks
When: Feb. 14 through late March
View intricate ice sculptures, some measuring more than 25 feet tall, crafted by nearly 100 teams.
Visit www.icealaska.org.
Fur Rendezvous
Where: Anchorage
When: Feb. 25 to March 6
Cultural events, athletic competitions, carnival rides and other festivities headline this winter gathering first held in 1935.
Visit www.furrondy.net.
And coming in March 2024:
Arctic Winter Games
Where: Mat-Su Borough
When: Dates to be announced
This biennial event draws 2,000 athletes from eight circumpolar delegations for athletic events and activities highlighting arctic and indigenous culture.
Visit matsugov.us/news/2024-arctic-winter-games-coming-to-mat-su.
Fans can attend meet-the-musher events and banquets in the days leading up to the 2022 Iditarod. Details for the Anchorage festivities will be finalized in the coming weeks.
Travelers can also catch the Iditarod’s ceremonial start on Saturday, March 5, in downtown Anchorage. Spectators will line the streets to watch teams take off for an 11-mile run to the Campbell Airstrip. Public viewing points open at Cordova Hill, Sullivan Arena and other locations along the route.
While the ceremonial start offers an up-close look at race preparations, IditaRider fundraising auction winners get a more immersive experience. Through Jan. 28, fans can bid on the chance to ride the 11-mile route in an official team sled with their favorite musher. Information about participating in the auction can be found at iditarod.com/the-iditarider-experience/.
The official Iditarod race restart takes place near Willow on Sunday, March 6. Spectators can watch there and at various race checkpoints accessible by air or snow vehicle. Urbach recommended Rainy Pass, McGrath or Unalakleet.
“If someone is adventurous and wants to see the dogs come into checkpoints, it’s very cool to do that at night. You can see the headlights and the snow coming down and the dogs’ breath,” he said.
Iditarod events make an $18 million economic impact in Alaska.
“To go 1,049 miles by sled dog team through the snow and ice and wind and storms is almost inconceivable. And yet, it’s what Iditarod competitors live for,” Urbach said. “Iditarod really represents the indomitable spirit of Alaska.”
For details, visit iditarod.com.