Each year in March, dogs and mushers assemble in Alaska for one of the most grueling and challenging races any sport has to offer.
The 2024 Iditarod, also known as "The Last Great Race on Earth," will begin on March 2, in Anchorage. A team of one musher and 12-14 dogs will race about 1,000 miles to Nome.
Because of the time and location, sled teams may endure tough weather conditions. Temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit, whiteouts, and blizzards are all realistic possibilities to consider.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of this year's Iditarod, including the trail, start and end dates, and history of winners.
MORE: Updated Iditarod standings, leaderboard for 2024
What is the Iditarod?
The Iditarod is the most popular dog sled race in the world. Teams of one musher and 12-14 dogs race about 1,000 miles across Alaska from Anchorage to Nome. The 2024 race will be the event's 52nd annual competition.
Typically, the race takes between 8-15 days, but the longest time was 32.5 days.
When does the Iditarod start and end?
- Start date: Saturday, March 2 (ceremonial start)
The Iditarod begins on the first Saturday in March, so the 2024 competition will start on March 2. The starting line will be in Anchorage, Alaska, which is located in the south-central portion of the state.
The Iditarod takes on average 8-15 days to complete, depending on the weather. Heavy snow, whiteouts, and blizzards can significantly slow down a sled team.
Iditarod mushers 2024
There are 38 mushers participating in the 2024 Iditarod. A majority of the mushers are from Alaska, with 27 competitors hailing from in-state. There are 16 first-time participants in this year's historic race.
There are four international mushers, two of which are in the 2024 rookie class. Here's the list of all 38 competitors:
| Name | Sex | City | State | Country | Status |
| Erin Altemus | F | Grand Marais | MN | USA | Rookie |
| Travis Beals | M | Seward | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Anna Berington | F | Knik | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Aaron Burmeister | M | Nome/Nenana | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Severin Cathry | M | Airolo | Switzerland | Rookie | |
| Calvin Daugherty | M | Sterling | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Jeff Deeter | M | Fairbanks | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Paige Drobny | F | Cantwell | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Gabe Dunham | F | Willow | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Lauro Eklund | M | Two Rivers | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Matthew Failor | M | Willow | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Benjamin Good | M | North Pole | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Matt Hall | M | Two Rivers | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Anna Hennessy | F | Willow | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Jessie Holmes | M | Brushkana | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Peter Kaiser | M | Bethel | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Hunter Keefe | M | Knik | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Lara Kittelson | F | Battle Ground | WA | USA | Rookie |
| Jessica Klejka | F | Wasilla | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Jason Mackey | M | Fairbanks | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Connor McMahon | M | Carcross | Yukon Territory | Canada | Rookie |
| Bryce Mumford | M | Preston | ID | USA | Rookie |
| Deke Naaktgeboren | M | Fairbanks | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Amanda Otto | F | Victor | ID | USA | Veteran |
| Nicolas Petit | M | Big Lake | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Mats Pettersson | M | Kiruna | Sweden | Veteran | |
| Mille Porsild | F | Denmark | Veteran | ||
| Ryan Redington | M | Knik | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Jeff Reid | M | Two Rivers | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Will Rhodes | M | Two Rivers | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Joshua Robbins | M | Willow | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Wally Robinson | M | Nenana | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Jessie Royer | F | Seeley Lake | MT | USA | Veteran |
| Dallas Seavey | M | Talkeetna | AK | USA | Veteran |
| Isaac Teaford | M | Salt Lake City | UT | USA | Rookie |
| Josi Thyr | F | Fairbanks | AK | USA | Rookie |
| Bailey Vitello | M | Milan | NH | USA | Veteran |
| Sean Williams | M | Chugiak | AK | USA | Rookie |
There have been six mushers to withdraw from the 2024 Iditarod thus far, with the most notable being 2023 Rookie of the Year Eddie Burke Jr.
Burke was initially disqualified from the race due to assault allegations. After the charges were dropped, the Iditarod Trail Committee reinstated him. Burke had leased his dogs out to other mushers after being disqualified, so he said it was too difficult to get his team back when reinstated, thus opting out completely.
Brent Sass, the 2022 Iditarod champion, was also disqualified due to "violence against women." That said, the Iditarod Trail Committee did not offer an explanation and Sass does not have any criminal cases in Alaskan court, according to Alaska Public.
Iditarod trail map
There are two trails for the Iditarod dog race. The northern route is used in even years and the southern route is used in odd years. The 2024 Iditarod will take place on the northern route, which can be seen below.
Northern route
| Checkpoints | Distance between Checkpoints* | Distance from Anchorage | Distance to Nome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Distance | 975 | ||
| Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip | 11 | 11 | 964 |
| Willow to Yentna Station | 42 | 53 | 922 |
| Yentna Station to Skwentna | 30 | 83 | 892 |
| Skwentna to Finger Lake | 40 | 123 | 852 |
| Finger Lake to Rainy Pass | 30 | 153 | 822 |
| Rainy Pass to Rohn | 35 | 188 | 787 |
| Rohn to Nikolai | 75 | 263 | 712 |
| Nikolai to McGrath | 48 | 311 | 664 |
| McGrath to Takotna | 18 | 329 | 646 |
| Takotna to Ophir | 23 | 352 | 623 |
| Ophir to Cripple | 73 | 425 | 550 |
| Cripple to Ruby | 70 | 495 | 480 |
| Ruby to Galena | 50 | 545 | 430 |
| Galena to Nulato | 37 | 582 | 393 |
| Nulato to Kaltag | 47 | 629 | 346 |
| Kaltag to Unalakleet | 85 | 714 | 261 |
| Unalakleet to Shaktoolik | 40 | 754 | 221 |
| Shaktoolik to Koyuk | 50 | 804 | 171 |
| Koyuk to Elim | 48 | 852 | 123 |
| Elim to Golovin | 28 | 880 | 95 |
| Golovin to White Mountain | 18 | 898 | 77 |
| White Mountain to Safety | 55 | 953 | 22 |
| Safety to Nome | 22 | 975 | 0 |
Southern route
| Checkpoints | Distance between Checkpoints* | Distance from Anchorage | Distance to Nome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Distance | 998 | ||
| Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip | 11 | 11 | 987 |
| Willow to Yentna Station | 42 | 53 | 945 |
| Yentna Station to Skwentna | 30 | 83 | 915 |
| Skwentna to Finger Lake | 40 | 123 | 875 |
| Finger Lake to Rainy Pass | 30 | 153 | 845 |
| Rainy Pass to Rohn | 35 | 188 | 810 |
| Rohn to Nikolai | 75 | 263 | 735 |
| Nikolai to McGrath | 48 | 311 | 687 |
| McGrath to Takotna | 18 | 329 | 669 |
| Takotna to Ophir | 23 | 352 | 646 |
| Ophir to Iditarod | 80 | 432 | 566 |
| Iditarod to Shageluk | 55 | 487 | 511 |
| Shageluk to Anvik | 25 | 512 | 486 |
| Anvik to Grayling | 18 | 530 | 468 |
| Grayling to Eagle Island | 62 | 592 | 406 |
| Eagle Island to Kaltag | 60 | 652 | 346 |
| Kaltag to Unalakleet | 85 | 737 | 261 |
| Unalakleet to Shaktoolik | 40 | 777 | 221 |
| Shaktoolik to Koyuk | 50 | 827 | 171 |
| Koyuk to Elim | 48 | 875 | 123 |
| Elim to Golovin | 28 | 903 | 95 |
| Golovin to White Mountain | 18 | 921 | 77 |
| White Mountain to Safety | 55 | 976 | 22 |
| Safety to Nome | 22 | 998 | 0 |
How many miles is the Iditarod?
The Iditarod is around 1,000 miles, but the exact distance varies based on which route the teams take.
In even years like 2024, teams will race on the 975-mile northern route. In odd years, teams will race the 998-mile southern trail.
Iditarod winners history
There have been 25 different Iditarod winners in the history of the "The Last Great Race on Earth."
Last year's winner, Ryan Redington, will look to defend his title. If he wins, it would be the first back-to-back champion since Dallas Seavey three-peated from 2014-16.
Seavey won his fifth title, tying Rick Swenson for the most of all-time, in 2021 with the fastest winning time in history.
Here are the year-by-year champions of the Iditarod, dating back to its inception in 1973.
| Year | Winner | Winning Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Ryan Redington | 8d 21h 12m 58s |
| 2022 | Brent Sass | 8d 14h 38m 43s |
| 2021 | Dallas Seavey | 7d 14h 8m 57s |
| 2020 | Thomas Waerner | 9d 10h 37m 47s |
| 2019 | Peter Kaiser | 9d 12h 39m 6s |
| 2018 | Joar Leifseth Ulsom | 9d 12h 0m 0s |
| 2017 | Mitch Seavey | 8d 3h 40m 13s |
| 2016 | Dallas Seavey | 8d 11h 20m 16s |
| 2015 | Dallas Seavey | 8d 18h 13m 6s |
| 2014 | Dallas Seavey | 8d 13h 4m 19s |
| 2013 | Mitch Seavey | 9d 7h 39m 56s |
| 2012 | Dallas Seavey | 9d 4h 29m 26s |
| 2011 | John Baker | 8d 18h 46m 39s |
| 2010 | Lance Mackey | 8d 23h 59m 9s |
| 2009 | Lance Mackey | 9d 21h 38m 46s |
| 2008 | Lance Mackey | 9d 11h 46m 48s |
| 2007 | Lance Mackey | 9d 5h 8m 41s |
| 2006 | Jeff King | 9d 11h 11m 36s |
| 2005 | Robert Sorlie | 9d 18h 39m 31s |
| 2004 | Mitch Seavey | 9d 12h 20m 22s |
| 2003 | Robert Sorlie | 9d 15h 47m 36s |
| 2002 | Martin Buser | 8d 22h 46m 2s |
| 2001 | Doug Swingley | 9d 19h 55m 50s |
| 2000 | Doug Swingley | 9d 0h 58m 6s |
| 1999 | Doug Swingley | 9d 14h 31m 7s |
| 1998 | Jeff King | 9d 5h 52m 26s |
| 1997 | Martin Buser | 9d 8h 30m 45s |
| 1996 | Jeff King | 9d 5h 43m 0s |
| 1995 | Doug Swingley | 9d 2h 42m 19s |
| 1994 | Martin Buser | 10d 13h 2m 39s |
| 1993 | Jeff King | 10d 15h 38m 15s |
| 1992 | Martin Buser | 10d 19h 17m 15s |
| 1991 | Rick Swenson | 12d 16h 34m 39s |
| 1990 | Susan Butcher | 11d 1h 53m 23s |
| 1989 | Joe Runyan | 11d 5h 24m 34s |
| 1988 | Susan Butcher | 11d 11h 41m 40s |
| 1987 | Susan Butcher | 11d 2h 5m 13s |
| 1986 | Susan Butcher | 11d 15h 6m 0s |
| 1985 | Libby Riddles | 18d 0h 20m 17s |
| 1984 | Dean Osmar | 12d 15h 7m 33s |
| 1983 | Rick Mackey | 12d 14h 10m 44s |
| 1982 | Rick Swenson | 16d 4h 40m 10s |
| 1981 | Rick Swenson | 12d 8h 45m 2s |
| 1980 | Joe May | 14d 7h 11m 51s |
| 1979 | Rick Swenson | 15d 10h 37m 47s |
| 1978 | Dick Mackey | 14d 18h 52m 24s |
| 1977 | Rick Swenson | 16d 16h 27m 13s |
| 1976 | Jerry Riley | 18d 22h 58m 17s |
| 1975 | Emmitt Peters | 14d 14h 43m 15s |
| 1974 | Carl Huntington | 20d 15h 1m 7s |
| 1973 | Dick Wilmarth | 20d 0h 49m 41s |
