On March 1, 65 mushers and their teams of dogs left Anchorage, Alaska, on a quest to win the Iditarod—a race covering 1,000 miles of mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forest, tundra and coastline. According to local news reports, a lack of snow covering the trail's harsh terrain made the race especially challenging, and many mushers pulled out of the race due to injuries and broken sleds.