Best of Iditarod Sled Dog Race 2021

The pandemic didn’t stop the Iditarod Sled Dog Race 2021, shorter than the usual track it started on March 7 with 46 mushers.

Wade Marrs hugs one of his dogs at the end of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, near Willow, Alaska, March 15, 2021.

During the race, mushers bypassed most rural Alaska villages that normally serve as checkpoints as a safety precaution, leaving the competitors to sleep in tent camps outside towns or under the stars in temperatures that have reached minus 48 degrees Celsius (minus 54 degrees Fahrenheit).

Mushers handle their dog care on a cold morning in McGrath, Alaska, March 13, 2021.

Since the race started, nine mushers have withdrawn including fan-favorite Aliy Zirkle, who was injured in a fall in what she has said would be her last race. Another musher, Gunnar Johnson, withdrew after he tested positive for COVID-19. That left 36 teams on the trail.

Richie Diehl leaves the Ophir checkpoint with his dog team during the race, Ophir, Alaska, March 12, 2021.

The race route was changed and shortened this year. Mushers started the race near Willow, about 50 miles north of Anchorage. From there, they traveled to the ghost town of Iditarod and then turned back around to finish in Willow.

A sign behind Mille Porsild says Nome 852 miles, a nod to the traditional Iditarod finish line, as she packs straw before leaving the Finger Lake checkpoint, Alaska, March 14, 2021.

A normal race is about 1,000 miles and takes mushers across the wilds of Alaska from Willow to the finish line in Nome, on the state’s Bering Sea coast.

Aaron Burmeister arrives near Willow for second place in the race, March 15, 2021.

Pete Kaiser naps under his coat during a stop at the Rainy Pass checkpoint in the Alaska Range, March 8, 2021.

Matt Failor's dogs rest under and on blankets in McGrath, Alaska, March 10, 2021.

Larry Daugherty, a musher from Eagle River, holds empty packages of COVID-19 vaccine which he will carry with him on race trail in a nod to the 1925 Serum Run, which relied on a relay of dog teams bringing the diphtheria vaccine to save a village from disease, at Deshka Landing in Willow, Alaska, March 7, 2021.

Dallas Seavey rounds a corner on the Susitna River, Alaska, March 7, 2021.

Mille Porsild and her dog team pass by Camp Flamingo on the Susitna River, March 7, 2021.

Ryne Olson participates at the beginning of the Iditarod dog sled race, Alaska, March 7, 2021.

Susannah Tuminelli's team runs at the beginning of the Iditarod dog sled race, Alaska, March 7, 2021.

Ryne Olson sits with her seven-year-old dog Dolly, named after Dolly Parton from a litter theme of Country music stars, at the Ophir checkpoint, Alaska, March 10, 2021.

The 2018 champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom, a native Norwegian who lives full time in Alaska, mushes across Finger Lake during the race, March 14, 2021.

Richie Diehl mushes up the first part of the Happy River Steps, Alaska, March 14, 2021.

Ryan Redington leaves the Rohn checkpoint after a quick stop, carrying straw to rest his team during the long run to Nikolail, Alaska, March 8, 2021.

Matt Hall's sled bag is covered with writing, including encouraging notes from family and the mileage between checkpoints along the route, in McGrath, Alaska, March 10, 2021.

Aaron Burmeister mushes near Shell Lake, Alaska, March 14, 2021.

Dallas Seavey poses after crossing the finish line to win his fifth Iditarod Dog Sled Race, matching most wins by a musher.