50th running of the Iditarod commences

The Joe Redington Sr. Memorial Trail, named for the homesteader who was the “Father of the Iditarod,” is a ribbon of ice, with some spots of bare pavement, in Wasilla, Alaska, U.S., February 25, 2022. Winter rains, which are increasing in frequency as the climate warms, create icy conditions in Wasilla and elsewhere in Alaska. The trail was used in the past as part of the race route, but it is no longer used because snow conditions there have become too poor. Instead, timed competition starts farther north at Willow Lake, where snow conditions are more dependable. Picture taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Yereth Rosen