The Iditarod Board of Directors voted Friday to move the race restart from Willow to Fairbanks this year due to low snow levels on portions of the 1,000-mile trail.
The ceremonial start will remain in Anchorage on March 4. The 74 mushers and their sled dog teams will then travel about 350 miles north to Fairbanks for the official race start on 10 a.m. Monday, March 6.
This Iditarod restart has taken place twice before in Fairbanks, in 2003 and 2015.
The change means that once again the race will follow the northern course. The Iditarod flips between a northern and a southern course in consecutive years. Due to snow conditions, the race hasn't been contested on the southern course since 2013. (Alaska Dispatch News)