This year’s 1,128-mile sled-dog race follows a novel route through Interior Alaska with a loop on the Yukon River. “We are all rookies,” Big Lake musher Nicolas Petit joked.

Thirty-three mushers and their sled dog teams have begun the grueling 1,100-mile journey to Nome after the Iditarod restart in Fairbanks, marking only the fourth restart there in race history.

A last-minute plan to change the route went off without a hitch despite significant changes to the original trail.

Matthew Failor harnessed his 16-dog team Monday night and raced away into the darkness from the village of Nenana, population 363. To the Mansfield native, it finally felt like he was on the 2025 Iditarod trail,

Rookie Emily Ford said her dog team cannot wait to get into some snow. “I think they're gonna be so stoked and be like — finally.”

Approximately 80 volunteers are in Fairbanks making sure the 2025 Iditarod blasts off Monday without any problems.

Editor’s note: This story will be updated as the mushers advance in the 2025 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Check back for more details. Eight-time Iditarod veteran Jason Mackey held a narrow lead Tuesday, March 4, in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.