2005 Iditarod - March 5: Ceremonial Start

March 5: Ceremonial Start

Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip: The ceremonial start of the 33rd annual Iditarod race began at 10 am Alaska Standard Time on March 5, 2005 in Anchorage. The first "bib" position out of the starting chute on Fourth Avenue and D Street was reserved for honorary musher Jirdes Winther Baxter, the last known survivor of the children who were saved from a diphtheria epidemic by the historic 1925 serum run to Nome. Baxter rode out of the starting chute on Fourth Avenue and D Street in the sled of 15-year-old Melissa Owens, who won the 138-mile (222 km) Junior Iditarod on February 27, with a time of 1 day, 51 minutes, and 27 seconds. Earlier in the year, Owens also placed second in the Junior Yukon Quest.

Separated by intervals of at least two minutes, the competitors departed starting at 10:02 am. The last team left at 12:53 pm. In addition to the musher and the team of 12 dogs, each dog sled also carried a family member or friend, and an "Idita-Rider". The Idita-Riders seats were auctioned off in January, and raised a total of US$ $140,021, with an average bid of $1918.09. The auction was held entirely online for the first time in 2005.

The teams passed through 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of city streets lined with an estimated 100,000 people. The temperature was 32 °F (0 °C). Due to the warm weather and poor trail conditions, the first leg of the race was shortened by the Iditarod Trail Committee on February 27, and ended at Campbell Airstrip 11 miles (18 km) from Anchorage, instead of the traditional checkpoint 20 miles (32 km) away at Eagle River.