Tomorrow is the Ceremonial Start of the 2018 Iditarod!
From 10am, 67 teams will mush 11 miles through the streets and trails of Anchorage with tens of thousands of supporters cheering, waving and hi-fiving. It is always a fun day!
I sat down with Aliy this evening and asked her why she enjoys the Ceremonial Start so much.
The team for the Ceremonial start can be made up of any 12 of the dogs that have passed all the pre-race vet checks. They do not have to go on to run in the race on Sunday and you will find many teams, including us, brought a “spare” or two, in case someone pulls up sore from the run on Saturday.
Allen and the Black Team will be the first of our teams out of the chute wearing bib #26. They leave the line at 10:50am. Allen will lead out with Daisy and Chena, Amber and Tinder will be in swing, followed by Barista and Sanka, Schmoe and Willie, Ginger and McCaw, with Bean and Bruno in wheel.
Aliy and the Red Team start just ten minutes later. She will lead out with Kodiak and Chipper, Commando and Dutch, Five and Rodney, Nomex and Driver, Scooby and Cayenne with Champ and Violet in wheel.
Find out more about our athletes on our Dogs Page.
There is a live feed of the Ceremonial Start on the Insider and streaming on Iditarod sponsor channel KTVA.
Final race team rosters will be posted either late Saturday or early Sunday morning, as soon as they are confirmed. Watch this space…
Go Red and Black Teams! This is going to be a great day! I can’t wait for the race to start and I will be watching it Live even though I live down south in North Carolina! I wish I could be there!
Seeing the dog team line-up gets me excited! Aliy, the fact that you want to reach out to your fans and sled dog racing fans is awesome. I’m sure that there are a lot of people that want to visit with you and Allen (and see the dogs) and that has got to be tiring. Hopefully I will get to watch the Ceremonial start. I have other obligations today, but will try to steal a few minutes to watch #26 and #31 leave the chute.
So excited to see the Teams ready to run thru Anchorage! No City Moose this year please! Wish we were there in person to celebrate with you….the live stream will have to suffice….lets get this party started!
Woohoo, my favorite day of the year, it’s Iditarod day!
I see two amazing dog teams, full of talent, power and love.
Enjoy today with the fans. We love you from all over the world.
Sending a smile to Violet from A-town, and hugs to all the teammates on the Red and Black SPK teams.
and once again, I say, I LOVE the audio interview. Awesome!!!!!
Godspeed SPK mushers,dogs and personnel! Have a fast,fun and safe Iditarod!!
Getting ready to gun the motors back here in CT – and I agree about the audio – nothing like hearing your voices!!!
WOOF WOOF WOOF
GO Black Team , GO GO GO Red Team and an extra WOOF – hope you don’t get too close to any moose this year, fingers and toes crossed!!!