A lively crowd of over 1,000 race fans, sponsors and supporters filled up the Dena’ina Civic Convention Center for the annual Iditarod Mushers Drawing Banquet.  The banquet is the largest fundraiser for the Iditarod Trail Committee, which is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. 

The 52nd running of the Last Great Race on Earth® includes 27 Alaskans, 4 international mushers, 16 rookies, 22 veterans and 3 former champions.  The field of 38 mushers is made up of 11 women and 27.  The race will run the Northern Route, where the halfway point will be the Cripple checkpoint. Tonight, the mushers drew for their respective starting order and the official 2024 Iditarod race start order is:

The ceremonial start will take place on Saturday, March 2, at 10 a.m., in downtown Anchorage,  followed by the official restart in Willow on Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. Teams will leave from the start line at each start in two minute intervals. For information on public shuttle bus  service from Anchorage and Wasilla, visit the Plan Your Visit page of the website.

There will be a $20 cash-only charge per vehicle for parking in Willow. The general public will not be  allowed to park in the Willow Community Center parking lot. Accessible parking will be located  as close as possible to the Willow Community Center entrance. On race day, look for electronic  sign boards located on the Parks Highway in Wasilla and at Houston High School advising current  information on parking availability in Willow.