The Latest: Iditarod takes mushers through Alaska wilderness

WILLOW, Alaska (AP) — The Latest on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

The world’s most famous sled dog race is underway in Alaska.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race started Sunday afternoon in Willow, Alaska, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Anchorage.

Mushers leave the start line in two-minute intervals. The first musher out on the thousand-mile (1,600-kilometer) trail to the finish line in Nome was Anja Radano.

There are 52 mushers total in the international field, which includes four Canadians, two Norwegians including the defending champion and one musher each from Sweden and France.

Mushers will guide their dog teams over two mountain ranges, untamed wilderness, the Yukon River and the dangerous, wind-whipped Bering Sea coast. The winner is expected under the famous burled arch finish line in Nome, on Alaska’s western coast, in about nine days.