The Rules

2.  All Mushers must be at least 18 years old at the start of the race.  Any rookie musher must have completed approved qualifying races.

3.  All mushers must pay an entry fee.  $1,750(USD) includes Iditarod and P.R.I.D.E. membership dues.

4.  Food must be sent to the checkpoints before the race.

5.  Replacement sleds (no more than two) can be sent to the checkpoints before the race.

5.  Dogs must be examined before the race by a race veterinarian.

6.  Dogs must be electronically tagged before the race.

7.  Dogs must be "northern breeds" suited for Arctic travel.

8.  There must be only one musher to a team and that musher must complete the entire race.

2.   Each musher must stop at each checkpoint.

3.  Each musher must make a 24-hour stop during the race.  This stop may be taken at the mushers option at a time most beneficial to the dogs.  This stop cannot be combined with either of the mandatory eight-hour stops.

4.  Each musher must make an eight-hour stop on the Yukon River.

5.  Each musher must make an eight-hour stop at White Mountain.

6.  Each musher must carry the following items:  a sleeping bag, an axe, a pair of snowshoes, eight booties for each dog in the team, one cooker, a notebook to show the veterinarian at each checkpoint, and promotional materials provided by the Iditarod Trail Committee.

7.  A musher will be disqualified for cruel or inhumane treatment of dogs or for improper dog care.

8.  No drugs may be used by a musher or given to a dog.  The ITC has the right to conduct random drug testing for a musher at any point from the start of the race to one hour after the teams finish in Nome.   Dogs are subject to random drug testing at any point from the pre-race examination until six hours after the teams finish in Nome.

9.  A musher will be disqualified if he or she accepts assistance between checkpoints.  All care and feeding of dogs will be done only by that teams musher.  A musher may seek the aid of others to control or secure an unmanageable or loose team.

10.  A musher may have no more than 16 dogs and no fewer than 12 dogs at the start of the race.  He or she must have at least five dogs on the line to finish the race.  Dogs may be dropped at designated locations during the race, but no dogs may be added to a team.

2.  A musher may not tamper with another musher's dogs, food or gear.  Or interfere with the progress of another team.

3.  A musher's personal gear or supplies may not be transported along the trail by mechanized means.

4.  A musher must allow another musher to pass if he or she comes within 50 feet and asks to pass.  This rule does not apply in the last stretch of the race between Ft. Davis Roadhouse and Nome, known as "No Man's Land".

5.  Any musher must act in a sportsmanlike manner throughout the race.

6.  No litter of any kind may be left on the trail or the checkpoints.

7.  In the event that a moose, caribou, or buffalo is killed in defense of life or property, the musher must gut the animal.  Following teams must help gut the animal when possible.  No teams may pass until the animal has been gutted and the musher killing the animal has proceeded.

8.  A musher may carry an emergency locator device.  Activation of the device will make a musher ineligible to continue and will result in withdrawal from the race.

9.  Mushers are restricted to the use of traditional forms of navigation.  Electronic or mechanical devices that measure speed and direction are prohibited.

Spare parts may include collars, lines and harnesses, sled runner plastic.  Tools used for repairs may include needles, dental floss, screwdriver, wrenches, nuts and bolts, hooks and snaps, hacksaw blade and extra wire.

Most mushers carry additional personal and safety supplies, including a headlamp, chemical handwarmers, knife, a complete set of clothes in a waterproof bag, and a basic first-aid kit.  Other items may include a space blanket, flashlight, matches, a compass, heat packs, sunglasses, lip salve, energy food, and a survival manual.

Most mushers bring along a few light weight personal items such as a portable tape or CD player and headphones, a camera and film, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb or brush, razors and shaving supplies.   An extra pair of glasses or contact lenses are a necessity.  Some bring portable alarm clocks to wake them at checkpoints.