Teams leave Willow, officially start 2026 Iditarod

Crowds gathered across Willow Lake to watch the start of the Iditarod, the Last Great Race on Earth, on a warm Sunday afternoon.

Fans cheered on 37 teams consisting of some of the top endurance athletes — human and canine — as they began their 1,000-mile, multi-day journey to Nome. Excited dogs leaped high into the air, their barks echoing across the ice as handlers pulled hard on the race sled to keep them at the starting line before the countdown to release all mushers for the 2026 Iditarod.

First musher out of the gate and Iditarod rookie Adam Lindenmuth from Willow felt a bit of nerves as he prepared his dogs for the trip ahead.

“It’s quite a bit intimidating, especially if you look at the lineup behind me,” Lindenmuth said. “It’s all these people that are in it to win it. But it’s just another trail, another day.”

Lindenmuth made a few last minute decisions about the gear that he packed as he anticipated the weather and trail ahead. Leaning on nearly a decade of mushing experience, his plan is to run the race one checkpoint at a time. His team of young dogs has run the Copper Basin 300 and the Goose Bay 150 this winter as they continue to become more comfortable in the race setting.

“The goal is Nome,” Lindenmuth said. “Just take it one step at a time. I just want to travel across the country with my dogs.”

Racing in the Iditarod was always something at the back of Lindenmuth’s mind since starting his mushing career. It wasn’t until a couple of years in that he realized that goal could be attainable. With a past of finishing long thru-hikes like the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide, completing the longest dog sled race was another milestone he looks to accomplish.

“I just want to run as far across Alaska as you can,” Lindenmuth said.

Veteran Bailey Vitello of Nenana casually prepared his team with a laid back and confident attitude for the beginning of his fourth Iditarod. With a top-five finish in 2025, Vitello is gunning for another top spot this year. He was the first musher to arrive at the start on Sunday.

“I’ll be the first one to Nome too,” Vitello laughed.

Training for Vitello this year totaled between 3,500 and 4,000 miles. His team took sixth in the Kuskokwim 300 in January and he looks to continue his momentum as he moves further up the rankings in every race he and his dogs run.

“Every year we’re making progress and I know we have a great group of people supporting us,” Vitello said. “We’re really excited to show them off.”

While some racers are looking for a top finish this year, others are along for the journey and the adventure. For Gabe Dunham of Willow, this year’s race will be an emotional journey with the recent passing of her father not long ago. She spent a majority of her winter caring for him in his final days.

“He asked me to take him on this trip,” Dunham said as she motioned to her sled. “That’s why we’re going.”

Taking the traditional northern route, Dunham said she looks forward to the beautiful landscapes along the trail and enjoying seeing wildlife in the distance and sharing that with her father. She expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to participate in another running of the Last Great Race.

“I want to thank all the volunteers, the spectators, the supporters of every single musher, including myself,” Dunham said. “This race would not happen without all of those folks.”

A member of Alaska-mushing royalty, 2023 Iditarod champion Ryan Redington of Knik hooked up his team of 16 dogs surrounded by a group of handlers. Redington’s grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., is often referred to as the “Father of the Iditarod” for his work in co-founding the race.

“I’m really happy to be here,” Redington said. “It means a lot for us to represent the Redington family in the race and I’m going to try to make the family proud.”

Redington’s looking for a top finish this year, with five top-10 finishes in the last six races. He’s feeling confident in his team and happy with their performances in the Copper Basin 300, Kuskokwim 300 and the Goose Bay 150 this winter. Redington said it’s the competition he’s looking forward to the most this year.

“The competition and trying to make it a race for everyone as well, and trying to get to Nome first,” Redington said.

Sending each team out of the start with a smile and a few words of encouragement, Iditarod Executive Director Rob Urbach was happy with the weather, the trail and the teams of happy dogs for the start of the long road ahead. He acknowledged the hard work that the mushers put in to be competing at such a high level and to be prepared for what’s to come.

“It’s such a great journey of self reliance,” Urbach said. “I think the essence of the whole nature is that you’re really overcoming so many different odds. I think this is one of the greatest challenges in the world.”

Urbach encouraged race fans to join their Insider Program to enjoy the coverage of the race, which includes GPS tracking, musher updates, live videos and more. More information can be found at https://iditarod.com/insider/