The Mushin' Mortician will lead the way for 85 Iditarod mushers at Saturday's ceremonial race start in downtown Anchorage.
Scott Janssen, a funeral home director from Anchorage, drew the No. 2 bib at Thursday's bib draw at the Dena'Ina Center.
By tradition, the No. 1 bib goes to an honorary musher who rides in a sled driven by the reigning Junior Iditarod champion.
This year, an Iditarod staff member -- Joanne Potts -- is the honorary musher. Kevin Harper of Wasilla, who won his second straight Junior Iditarod championship last month, will be the driver.
Following Janssen down Fourth Avenue will be Montana's Jessie Royer, who will leave two minutes after Janssen wearing the No. 3 bib.
Defending champion Dallas Seavey, who is vying for his fourth championship in five years, will be among the early leaders. He drew the No. 16 bib.
Three spots ahead of him and three spots behind him are two of his chief rivals.
Wearing No. 13 will be Aliy Zirkle, runner-up to Seavey in 2014 and 2012. Wearing No. 19 will be his dad, Mitch Seavey, runnerup last year and the winner in 2013. That year, Zirkle placed second and Dallas fourth.
Mushers on Saturday will make an abbreviated three-mile run to Davenport Field on Lake Otis Parkway. Usually, they go 11 miles to Campbell Airstrip, but there's not enough snow this year to allow the longer journey.
The ceremonial start begins at 10 a.m. The 1,000-mile sled dog race to Nome begins for real at 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow, where Janssen will again lead mushers onto the trail
Mushers bib list / start order
2 Scott Janssen
3 Jessie Royer
4 Nathan Schroeder
5 Allen Moore
6 Ketil Reitan
7 Lisbet Norris
8 Monica Zappa
9 Charley Bejna
10 Cim Smyth
11 Peter Kaiser
12 Nicolas Petit
13 Aliy Zirkle
14 Jodi Bailey
15 James Volek
16 Dallas Seavey
17 Kelly Maixner
18 Ray Redington Jr
19 Mitch Seavey
20 Rick Casillo
21 Noah Pereira
22 Becca Moore
23 Anna Berington
24 Jason Campeau
25 Jan Steves
26 Robert Bundtzen
27 Sigrid Ekran
28 Travis Beals
29 Ellen Halverson
30 Michelle Phillips
31 Joar Leifseth Ulsom
32 Brent Sass
33 Wade Marrs
34 Kim Franklin
35 Dag Torulf Olsen
36 Mats Pettersson
37 Robert Sorlie
38 Richie Diehl
39 Noah Burmeister
40 Michael Williams, Jr.
41 Linwood Fiedler
42 Kristin Bacon
43 Larry Daugherty
44 Ryne Olson
45 DeeDee Jonrowe
46 Justin Savidis
47 Kristin Knight Pace
48 Martin Buser
49 Mary Helwig
50 Ed Stielstra
51 Jim Lanier
52 Tore Albrigtsen
53 Patrick Beall
54 Alan Eischens
55 Paul Gebhardt
56 Rob Cooke
57 Robert Redington
58 Trent Herbst
59 Cody Strathe
60 Ryan Redington
61 Jeff King
62 Scott Smith
63 Matthew Failor
64 Tim Pappas
65 Miriam Osredkar
66 John Baker
67 Jason Mackey
68 Lars Monsen
69 Elliot Anderson
70 Hugh Neff
71 Sarah Stokey
72 Lance Mackey
73 Cindy Gallea
74 Zoya DeNure
75 Paige Drobny
76 Karin Hendrickson
77 Ralph Johannessen
78 Tom Jamgochian
79 Geir Idar Hjelvik
80 Billy Snodgrass
81 Ken Anderson
82 Melissa Owens Stewart
83 Kristy Berington
84 Hans Gatt
85 Katherine Keith
86 Martin Koenig