FILE - In this March 7, 2015, file photo, two dogs peek out from look out holes on the truck of musher Justin Savidis of Willow, Alaska, before the ceremonial run of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, Alaska. The 46th running of Alaska's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off Saturday, March 3, 2018, amid the most turbulent year for organizers beset by multiple problems, including a champion's dog doping scandal, the loss of major sponsors, discontent among race participants and escalating pressure from animal rights activists, who say the dogs are run to death or left with serious injuries. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Latest on the ceremonial start of Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (all times local):
5:30 p.m.
A dog from a team set to run in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was found after getting loose before the ceremonial start of the race in Anchorage.
KTVA reported Saturday that handlers with Norwegian musher Lars Monsen said a woman later discovered the dog named Hudson.
The dog had run from a kennel truck hours earlier.
Sixty-seven teams are vying for a total purse of $500,000 in the race to Nome set to start Sunday.
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11:55 a.m.
A dog in Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race disappeared Saturday during preparations for the ceremonial start of the annual trek to Nome.
Anchorage television station KTUU reports the 2-year-old dog Hudson took off when the back doors of the musher's trailer were open.
The disappearance happened about two hours before the ceremonial start began with mushers taking a short sprint with their teams along downtown Anchorage streets.
The musher, who lives in Skipvet, Norway, told the station Hudson had not been seen since.
The dog was last seen heading toward a nearby neighborhood in the downtown area.
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11:15 a.m.
Cheering fans lined the streets of Alaska's largest city as mushers and their dogs took a short sprint through town Saturday for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
The morning trek through downtown Anchorage gave fans a chance to get up close to the teams that will participate in the competitive portion of the 1,000-mile (1,609- kilometer) race that begins Sunday in the community of Willow to the north.
This year's race comes amid a plethora of troubles for organizers, including a dog doping scandal, the loss of a major sponsor and increasing pressure from animal rights activists following the deaths of five dogs connected to last year's race.
Sixty-seven teams are vying for a total purse of $500,000. Organizers say the winner's share of the prize money will be determined later in the race.
FILE - In this March 2, 2014, file photo, musher Nathan Schroeder drives his dog team down the trail just after the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Willow, Alaska. The 46th running of Alaska's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off Saturday, March 3, 2018, amid the most turbulent year for organizers beset by multiple problems, including a champion's dog doping scandal, the loss of major sponsors, discontent among race participants and escalating pressure from animal rights activists, who say the dogs are run to death or left with serious injuries. (Bob Hallinen/Anchorage Daily News via AP, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this March 7, 2017, file photo, one of Norwegian musher Joar Leifseth Ulsom's dogs waits at the Manley Hot Springs checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Manley Hot Springs, Alaska. The 46th running of Alaska's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off Saturday, March 3, 2018, amid the most turbulent year for organizers beset by multiple problems, including a champion's dog doping scandal, the loss of major sponsors, discontent among race participants and escalating pressure from animal rights activists, who say the dogs are run to death or left with serious injuries. (Matt Buxton/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this March 16, 2015, file photo, volunteers help raise the Iditarod finishers banner at the burled arch finish line in Nome, Alaska. The 46th running of Alaska's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off Saturday, March 3, 2018, amid the most turbulent year for organizers beset by multiple problems, including a champion's dog doping scandal, the loss of major sponsors, discontent among race participants and escalating pressure from animal rights activists, who say the dogs are run to death or left with serious injuries. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)
The Associated Press