Enjoying the Ceremonial Start from the Best Seat in the House the Ride of a Lifetime as an Official IditaRider
Contributed by Shannon Noonan, ITC Director of Marketing and Communications
5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 GO! “Go!” It may be a little word, but it is a word filled with big time power; the power of more than a dozen sled dogs pulling you and a 2025 Iditarod musher on an 11-mile trail at the start of The Last Great Race on Earth.
Cathy Hart Photography
For the last 30 years, Iditarod fans have had the opportunity to be an Official IditaRider during the Ceremonial Start of the race in downtown Anchorage. Winners of the IditaRider auction take the ride of a lifetime, starting in the sled of their musher in downtown Anchorage, where the streets are lined with Iditarod fans cheering each musher, their dogs and IditaRider down the 11-mile trail. After traveling through the streets of downtown Anchorage for a little less than two miles, teams make their way through a variety of different paths and trails, cross an overpass, go through several tunnels and end up traveling on some incredibly scenic wooded trails leading to the Campbell Airstrip. The fans all along this journey hoot and holler and cheer as you and your musher make your way along the 11-mile trail - be sure to keep your eyes open, as someone may even toss a delicious Alaska reindeer sausage your way!
Some auction winners are rookie IditaRiders, while some are veterans in the seat and make sure to place their winning bid year after year. Some IditaRider seats are given as gifts, some are donated to various deserving people, and many have referred to the experience as a bucket list opportunity of a lifetime. As you can imagine, there are some pretty incredible stories that come from the IditaRider’s experiences.
On Saturday, March 1, 2025, tens of thousands of race fans will gather in the streets of downtown Anchorage to watch these canine and human athletes head down the chute as the 2024 race kicks off with its annual Ceremonial Start. A race official will count down each musher in two-minute intervals at the starting line - “3, 2, 1, GO!” are the words the mushers are waiting to hear! The dogs, the fans, the handlers, Iditarod staff, volunteers and the IditaRiders are anxious for the start of the race, too, and the cheers of excitement ramp up as the first team leaves the starting line. You can bid on your chance to become an Official IditaRider by visting: theiditarod.schoolauction.net/2025iditarider.
The Iditarod IditaRider auction is a great way to support the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and gives you or another Iditarod fan the chance to win the ride of a lifetime. Not only are you starting the iconic race in the best seat in the house, but your winning auction bid is a donation to the ITC which helps us stage the race so we can continue to support the culture of dog mushing and the legacy of the Iditarod and Alaska’s state sport.