FAIRBANKS — As the sun began to rise over the frozen Tanana River on Saturday, competitors made their way to the start of Alaska’s newest sled dog race, the Tanana Valley Sled Dog Races, or T-Dog.

Fairbanks experienced an unusual increase in temperatures in January, reported to be “40 degrees higher than is normally seen at this time of year," according to Alaska’s News Source.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, also known as the “Last Great Race,” is a 1,000-mile race held annually in Alaska since its start in 1973.

Sled dogs mushed by Jeff Deeter (33), of Fairbanks, Alaska, run during the Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska., Saturday, March 1, 2025. Credit: AP/Amanda Loman ...

A return to a 1,000 mile race, with a loop entirely in Alaska, with a start and finish in Fairbanks, is not out of reason. Dog mushing is the Alaska state sport; Interior Alaska is its headquarters.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is usually billed as a 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race across Alaska. The route change means it's now 1,128 miles (1,815 kilometers).

Haze smiles as he waits to pull a sled at the Norris Glacier dog sledding camp on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO) Dog sledding is an iconic piece of Alaska’s history.