Iditarod Mushers Begin Nearly 1,000-mile Race Across Alaska [View all]

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — The world's most famous sled dog race started Monday with 71 mushers setting off from the heart of Alaska and embarking on a nearly 1,000-mile trek across the wilderness.

The grandson of a co-founder of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was the first competitor on the trail.

Ryan Redington, 33, of Wasilla led the other mushers out of the chute in Fairbanks nearly a half-century after his grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., helped stage the first race in 1973.

The contest has a staggered start so fans, including 2,600 schoolchildren, can cheer on the mushers, who leave every two minutes.

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