Iditarod Dog Sled Race

Start Your Canines! — AP Photo/Al Grillo

An endurance test for Man and a team of his best friends, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers 1,131 miles through the Alaskan wild. This year's contest began Saturday, March 7, in Anchorage, as musher Hugh Neff's lead dogs jump in their harness for the ceremonial start.

Course And Checkpoints

Sixty-seven mushers (a third of whom are competing for the first time) began this year's race, stretching from Anchorage in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast. Each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher must cover the distance in between 10 to 17 days.

Heading Out

Laura Daugereau from Port Gamble, Wash., drives her team down Fourth Avenue in Anchorage. The winner of this year's race will receive $69,000 and a new truck. The $610,000 purse is paid to the top 30 finishers.

Suiting Up

Rick Larson, from Sand Coulee, Mont. puts booties on his sled dog as he gets ready to race in Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 8, 2009. This is Larson's fourth Iditarod.

And They're Off!

Hans Gatt, from Whitehorse, Yukon, drives his team down the start chute as he begins the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow, Alaska on Sunday, March 8, 2009.

Living The Dream

Iditarod rookie Kim Darst from Blairstown, N.J., drives her team down the starting chute of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Sunday, March 8, 2009, in Willow, Alaska. Darst has worked for 10 years to achieve her Iditarod dream, which she said will cost her $50,000.

Going For Five

Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser pulls his team into the Rainy Pass, Alaska, checkpoint on Monday, March 9, 2009. Buser's 2002 winning time (8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds) stands as the record.

Spectators

Mitch Seavey's dog team watches Jessie Royer drive her team along the Kuskokwim River and into the Nicolai, Alaska checkpoint on Tuesday, March 10, 2009.

Yummy

One of Iditarod musher John Baker's sled dog chews on a boot during a rest at the Nicolai, Alaska checkpoint Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Baker has raced in every Iditarod since 1996, and has 9 top-ten finishes.

Vet

Volunteer veterinarian Ron Svec, from Vermont, checks one of John Baker's sled dogs after he arrived at the Nicolai, Alaska, checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Volunteer veterinarians check each dog to see if they are able to continue the 1,131-mile race.

The Long Trail

Matt Hayashida of Willow, Alaska drives his team along the Iditarod trail near the Takotna, Alaska checkpoint on Wednesday, March 11, 2009. From this point there are nearly 700 miles still to go.

Rest, For Not For Long

Sebastian Schnuelle from Whitehorse, Yukon, plays with his dogs Gas (left) and Diesel during a rest stop at the Takotna, Alaska, checkpoint, March 11, 2009. Jessie Royer of Fairbanks, Alaska, drives her team out of the Takotna checkpoint on March 12.

Scratched

People get ready to load Norwegian musher Bjornar Andersen's dog team onto a small plane at the Takotna, Alaska checkpoint Thursday, March 12, 2009. Andersen was scratched from the race after an accident but was released from the hospital and reunited with his dog team on Friday.

Arrival

Judy Currier, from Fairbanks, Alaska, drops her snow hook as she arrives at the Takotna, Alaska checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Reward

Defending champ Lance Mackey drives his team into the Anvik checkpoint Friday. Being the first to reach the Yukon River, Mackey (right, talking to Lindsey Turner) received an 8-course gourmet dinner. He estimates he's slept no more than a dozen hours since the race began, and fell asleep on the way to Anvik. Awaking with no marker in sight, he was forced to turns his dogs around. "They didn't dig that," he said.

On Your Tail

Aliy Zirkle, left, and Sonny Lindner travel down the Yukon River near Eagle Island, Saturday, March 14, 2009. From Eagle Island it is 429 miles to the finish line.

Latitude 63.87N

Sonny Lindner of Two Rivers, Alaska, arrives at the Kaltag checkpoint on Sunday, March 15, 2009 (left); ninety miles later, residents of Unalakleet watch as defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey beds his dog team after arriving first into the checkpoint on Sunday.

Norton Bay

Canadian musher Sebastian Schnuelle drives his team across Norton Bay Monday, March 16, 2009, to the Koyuk, Alaska checkpoint, where his lead dog Finn gets a well-deserved meal. Schnuelle had a nearly 2 1/2-hour lead over a pack of hopefuls -- but was still five hours behind front-runner Lance Mackey.

Finish Line

Lance Mackey drives his team up the finish chute of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in Nome, Alaska, to win his third Iditarod in a row. His finishing time: 9 days, 21 hours, 38 minutes, 46 seconds. Coming in second was Sebastian Schnuelle (10 days, 5 hours, 5 mins., 4 secs.)

Winning Team

Lance Mackey sits with his lead dogs Larry, right, and Maple after crossing the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in Nome, Alaska.