Hi Boys and Girls,

The Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 2017 took place on Saturday in downtown Anchorage. This is not the official start of the race. That will happen on Monday in Fairbanks. The Cermonial start is festive and fun. The teams line up on 4^th Avenue in starting order. Family, friends and fans are able to walk around, visit with the mushers, take LOTS of pictures and even pet the dogs. Many teams have special bandanas or coats they put on their dogs to represent their team.

There are only 12 dogs on the Ceremonial start team instead of the usual 16 used for the Start. Dogs who did not make the final cut but have been vet checked are able to run in the Ceremonial Start. These dogs trained with their team all season so this is a way for them to participate.

To add to the fun, an Iditarider is able to ride in the sled basket. An Iditarider is a person who won a bid in an auction for this privilege. Each team also has a dragsled. A dragsled is a second sled attached to the back of the first sled. An experience musher is the driver of that sled. Dragsleds are used to slow down a team. The dogs are so excited and there are so many people along the trail that only using 12 dogs, and having a dragsled makes it a safer run for all.

The Cermonial start is an 11 mile course and times are not recorded. Once they reach the end of the trail, they will pack up and start preparing for the restart on Monday morning.

Good luck to all the teams,

See you in Fairbanks,

Gypsy