Hobo Jim & Iditarod fans singing "I did, I did, I did the Iditarod Trail"

Temperature 3.3.11 average 20°F, wind speed 13 mph

Temperature 3.4.11 20°F, wind gusting 15-23 mph  Feels like 6°F

Last night the mushers drew their starting positions for the race. Unlike a horse race, all the mushers don’t begin at the same time—the teams leave the start line every 2 minutes, and the start position, or bib number, determines the order in which they leave. Drawn out of a mukluk (search mukluk to find out what it is), the positions are announced and mushers briefly thank their sponsors and so forth.

Race fans had ample opportunity to get memorabilia autographed by mushers as they left the stage area. Hobo Jim, Alaska’s balladeer, and Mr. Whitekeys provided musical and humorous entertainment.

You’ll find the race positions on www.iditarod.com on the home page. The bib  number is the starting position, and as the race gets underway, the race standings include the current race position and the bib number, which will be different from each other. Students may find it easier to locate the musher they are following by looking for the bib number, since this doesn’t change.

Newton Marshall of Jamaica, running his 2nd Iditarod this year