Iditarod!

Lance Mackey after his 2008 win

The race is on from the ceremonial starting point in Anchorage to Nome.  This year 62 mushers and their teams will try to be the first to Nome on the 1000+ mile course.  Since 2011 is an odd-numbered year the southern route will be run.  After the ceremonial start on Saturday, the restart (and real race) begins on Sunday in Willow Lake.  This point is has been moved further north in recent years because of warming temperatures (can you say global warming??). Called the Last Great Race on Earth, mushers and their teams of 12-16 dogs will endure the harsh elements on their 8+ days to the finish (current temp in Wasilla, Alaska 14 degrees.)  Progress of the race and current standings are available on the Official Site of the Iditarod.  This year Lance Mackey will be trying to win his 5th straight Iditarod.  Sports Illustrated (March 7th issue) had a great article on his training techniques and a fabulous photo of his kennels.  Each of his 120 dogs has their own wooden dog house and it looks like a miniature snow covered village.  I had immediately thought about how expensive it would be to feed all those dogs, but the article explained that a dog food company does sponsor him and provides food. 
The March 2011 issue of Alaska, 'the magazine of life on the last frontier' has a very informative article on the breeding of both long distance and sprint dogs and the careful selection that is involved in choosing a winning team.  And, of course, the photos in Alaska are stunning.
I'll be enjoying the race from the comfort of my couch.  I think I might even wrap up in a Snuggie.  Just looking at all that snow makes me cold.