Holding a sled-dog race ... without any snow
Digital Reporter
Monday, March 9, 2015, 12:25 PM - The legendary Iditarod sled dog race had its ceremonial start in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, minus a rather key component.
As you can see in the video above, the city had to truck in snow to accommodate the dogs and their mushers, a weird sight in what is supposed to be the coldest state in the U.S.
As it happens, although large parts of the U.S. have been hammered with winter weather this season, Alaska itself has actually had below average snowfall (only 50 cm the whole season so far, compared to the average of more than 150 cm), and that's forced Iditarod planners to move the starting line further north.
They had to truck in snow to start #Iditarod2015 in Anchorage, #Alaska this year: https://t.co/tGA85hDl9Z #IAmProSnow pic.twitter.com/sbm34oJYF5
— Cheli Cresswell (@chelicresswell) March 8, 2015
What happened in Anchorage yesterday was the "ceremonial" start to the gruelling 1,600-kilometre odyssey, beginning on the city's Fourth Avenue and finishing up at Campbell Creek.
The real start is usually in the community of Willow on Monday, but in February, the organizers announced they were moving the starting line to Fairbanks, almost 500 km away, due to "minimal snow coverage on rugged parts of the trail."
In 43 years, this is the second time they've had to move the start, with the last in 2003.
The Iditarod attracts mushers from all over the world in a breakneck race that ends in the town of Nome. It typically takes 10 days to complete, although a new record of eight days, 13 hours and 19 minutes was set in 2014.
