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2026 Iditarod Restart Recap: Teams Leave Willow

March 8, 2026
Editor and/or Contributors

The 2026 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race officially began from the Willow Restart and the teams are now on the trail heading toward the Alaska Range. In this episode of the Mushing Podcast, Robert and Michele Forto report directly from Willow, Alaska after spending the afternoon in the staging area speaking with mushers, handlers, and fans before the start of the race.

They share the atmosphere of the restart, including tailgate-style trail cooking for Paige Drobny’s team, conversations with sprint racers Bailey Vitello and Keaton about sled design and race strategy, and an interview with rookie musher Jody Potts Joseph from Eagle Village.

The episode also features insights from the new Expedition Class mushers discussing why they chose to attempt the race and what this category could mean for the future of long-distance dog mushing.

The show concludes with a musher profile of Wade Marrs and a historical look back at Libby Riddles’ historic 1985 Iditarod victory during the new “Moment in Mushing History” segment.

With the first miles already behind the teams and early leaders emerging on the tracker, the race has officially begun and the strategies for the first night on the trail are starting to take shape.

Musher Profile: Wade Marrs

Resources

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