The first musher, Aaron Peck, and his dogs are now leaving Deshka Landing for the start of the Last Great Trail Race, the 49th running of the Iditarod!
This will be Aliy Zirkle’s last race as she heads into retirement following 20 years in the sport.
Many other races have been cancelled during this year of COVID19 but the Iditarod has made some significant changes to allow it to carry on. The route has been made into a circle, beginning and ending in Deshka Landing rather than riding all the way to Nome, and many of the checkpoints have been set up away from town centers to keep the mushers isolated from native communities. In addition, no spectators are allowed.