Mushers Prepare for Fur Rondy Open World Championship

Competition kicks off Friday

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By Janessa Webb
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Story Created: Feb 21, 2013 at 7:44 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Feb 21, 2013 at 7:46 PM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - On Thursday, fourteen of the fastest dog sled teams from across the country prepared for the the number one dog sled speed race in the world. The Open World Championship will kick off Friday with a payout of $70,000.

For the next three days mushers will run 24.8 miles as fast as they can, each day starting and finishing downtown on 4th and D street.

The Alaskan Sled Dog and Racing Association says racers will travel through the Chugach foothills and some of Anchorage's best trails.

Jeff Barnhart of the Alaska Sled Dog & Racing Association said, "The real difference is our speeds and the type if athlete we have; they have an endurance athlete that going to run seven to eleven miles per hour -- if you look at the average Iditarod paces, eight miles per hour, ten miles an hour -- we are going to double that."

To track the races live click on this link.

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