At the starting line

WILLOW -- At 10 a.m. this morning the countdown will be over as 87 mushers will begin their trek on the legendary Iditarod Trail.

The Willow Community Center will host the annual Restart of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race with mushers exiting the starting chute on Willow Lake. Willow was chosen as the new Restart site of the Last Great Race early last week after the Iditarod Trail Committee moved the Restart site north from Wasilla due to warming temperatures and lack of snow.

"We've been nimble, reacting the ways we need to," Iditarod Trail Committee executive director Stan Hooley said during Wednesday's Iditarod press briefing.

A record number of mushers will depart Willow. The current field has nearly 20 more competitors than last year and could have had as many as 109 participants. Eight of last year's top 10 and 25 of 2003's top 30 mushers are in the 2004 race. The field also includes five former champions -- Martin Buser, Jeff King, Rick Swenson, Jeff King and Rick Mackey. Swenson is a five-time champ, while Buser and Swingley have each won the race four times.