Mushers left Deshka Landing Sunday afternoon with blue skies and mild temperatures. The 46 mushers will continue north and begin to cross the Alaska Range on Monday.
Leaders for Cody Strathe begin the race. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Jeremy Traska, a rookie from Two Rivers, leaves the starting line. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Aaron Burmeister and his team leave the starting area. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Aliy Zirkle, of Two Rivers, greets fans as she passes by. Zirkle says this is will be her last Iditarod start. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Ramey Smyth, of Willow, waves as he begins his run. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Dallas Seavey leans over for a high-five. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Joar Leifseth Ulsom gives a kiss before he begins his run. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Larry Daugherty, a musher from Eagle River, will carry empty packages of COVID-19 vaccine with him on the trail this year. Daugherty, a radiation oncologist, said he’s carrying empty vials of COVID-19 vaccine because it’s symbolic of the hope he has for the future. “I just think it’s phenomenal that science has given us this vaccine so quickly,” he said. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Supporters for Willow rookie Dakota Schlosser cheer from afar as he enters the starting chute. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Rookie Sean Underwood greets fans. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Cindy Hite, center, cheers on mushers with a megaphone. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Iditarod champion Pete Kaiser drives his dog team past spectators on the Susitna River during the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow on Sunday, March 7, 2021. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Mille Porsild and her dog team pass by Camp Flamingo on the Susitna River Sunday. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Ryne Olson drives her dog team past campfires on the Susitna River. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Wade Marrs looks up after rolling his sled at a sharp corner on Susitna River. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Matt Hall drives his dog dog team on the Susitna River during the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Four-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey rounds a corner on the Susitna River. (Bill Roth / ADN)
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