Iditarod race starts with pageantry and focus on preventing disease spread

Musher Mille Porsild of Denmark (number 32) steers her sled down a hill in Anchorage during the ceremonial start of the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Alaska, U.S. March 7, 2020. REUTERS/Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - With snow falling lightly and crowds of spectators packed along the sidewalks of downtown Anchorage, 57 mushers and their dog teams started the 48th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday.

The 11-mile trot through Alaska's biggest city was merely ceremonial, intended as a low-stress event where mushers could mingle with Iditarod fans. Timed competition for the 1,000-mile race is set to begin Sunday afternoon from a frozen lake in Willow, a community north of Anchorage, and the winner is expected at the finish line in Nome about nine days after that.