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Hi, ADN Iditarod fans,

The racing has officially begun: Mushers took off from Willow this afternoon during the Iditarod restart, launching their journey to Nome. 

Earlier in the weekend, our reporters talked to some of the race's stalwart competitors to take stock of their approaches to this year's Iditarod. “I’m not stressing too hard about the competitive side of things,” said 2019 champion Pete Kaiser of Bethel. 

As the defending champion, Jessie Holmes has the “favorite status” in this year’s field, Kaiser said. But competition will be stiff among the top pool of racers, which includes several perennial top finishers.

Defending Iditarod champion Jessie Holmes drives his dog team during the restart of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow on Sunday. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Rookie Adam Lindenmuth drives his dog team across Willow Lake during Sunday's restart. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Holmes, for his part, said he is “absolutely” aiming to win again. 

Veteran Mille Porsild has run every Iditarod since 2020 and finished in the top 10 four times. “I have an exceptionally good team,” she said. And 

Two Rivers musher Matt Hall, who has taken second place the last two years, said Saturday that “this team is ready to go.”

You can read more from other mushers and check out more of our restart photos here.

By late Sunday night, 2023 champion Ryan Redington was the first to reach the checkpoint of Skwentna.

Gabe Dunham makes a road crossing near Vera Lake during the restart of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow on Sunday. (Bill Roth / ADN)

There's plenty more coverage to come and a lot of trail between mushers and Nome, so stay tuned -- we'll share updates as they come. As always, thanks for reading!

Happy trails, 

Vicky Ho
vho@adn.com

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