And down the stretch they come

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race may have officially started in Willow this year, but the unofficial starting point for the real race was in Unalakleet.

Unalakleet is the largest town along the trail, and each year, it begins the final stretch of the race. Often -- like this year -- Unalakleet and the small villages that follow to the west are where the Iditarod is won and lost, where dreams are realized or shattered.

In a way, the Iditarod is not one big race, but rather a series of small races that are put together, each with their own characteristics. The diversity of the trail and racing conditions is a testament to Alaska's immense size and varied terrain. The Unalakleet-to-Nome stretch is the final drive for mushers.

The first mini-race is to Rainy Pass and on to Rohn, where a steep climb over the Alaska Range tests teams. Then, the rugged Farewell Burn and its brutal conditions lead right into the checkpoints of Nikolai, McGrath and Takotna, where many mushers take their 24-hour layovers. It's then to the Yukon River, where blowing winds and nasty conditions greet mushers until they get to Unalakleet.

Unalakleet is a favorite stop for many mushers. Last weekend, the only five-time champion in Iditarod history, Rick Swenson, stopped to sign autographs at the school in Unalakleet. It's just one example of mushers helping bring excitement to the villages of Alaska.

Wind is the only sure thing on the final stretch of the Iditarod. Often, snow is blowing so hard that teams are grounded, waiting for a break. Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod when she braved a storm that grounded everybody else in 1985.

From Unalakleet, the trail winds 40 miles to the village of Shaktoolik and another 58 miles to Koyuk. The trail winds its way around Norton Sound, with some of the trail going right across the wide-open ice, with no place for mushers to hide. The same conditions greet mushers as they make their way to Elim, another 48 miles up the trail.

Slow, gentle rolling hills are the next adversity for mushers as they really hit the final stretch. After a mandatory eight-hour layover in White Mountain, there is only 77 miles left until the finish line. The first 55 miles out of White Mountain lead to Safety. The rolling hills are nearly identical, and in a fierce windstorm, even the most seasoned Iditarod veteran can get lost.

The last checkpoint is Safety, just 22 miles from Nome. This is a full-on sprint.

The trail follows the Nome-Solomon Road, except where it passes over Cape Nome and the last seven miles into Nome. There, it parallels the road into town, right down onto Front Street.

Whether or not mushers are greeted with large fanfare as the champion or not largely depends on their ability to navigate the Norton Sound Coast from Unalakleet to Nome.

This year's race is shaping up to be one of the closest, as two mushers, Kjetil Backen and Mitch Seavey, arrived within one minute of each other in Unalakleet. Early Monday morning, when the Frontiersman went to press, Seavey was leading the race, having left Shaktoolik at 2:40 a.m. Monday. Jeff King was second, having left Shaktoolik at 4:08 a.m., just 25 minutes ahead of Backen. Charlie Boulding was in fourth, getting ready to leave Shaktoolik.

The Iditarod should have a finisher sometime today, as a pack of mushers head out across the ice and mush their teams for Iditarod glory.