The 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race got underway this weekend, with the traditional ceremonial start on Saturday in Anchorage followed by the official restart Sunday about 50 miles north in Willow at 2 p.m. local time.

This is the 47th edition of the Iditarod, commonly known as “The Last Great Race on Earth.” A field of 52 mushers will make the journey through the Alaskan wilderness, hoping to claim victory by becoming the first to reach the village of Nome, located along the state's western coast.

Great Falls, Montana musher Brett Bruggeman's lead dogs trot happily along the Chester Creek Trail during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Saturday, March 3, 2018 in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Michael Dinneen)

This year’s field is the smallest since 1949, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Past champions have completed the race in as little as eight days.

The approximate distance of this year’s route, known as the southern route, is 998 miles. There are 19 checkpoints on the southern route, including Anchorage and Nome, according to the race's official website.

In previous years, a lack of snowfall in the Alaska range has caused the race to restart in Fairbanks instead of Willow. This was the case in 2017, 2015 and 2003. In 2016, snow had to be transported by train to Anchorage just so the ceremonial start could happen.

However, this is not the case this year.

"A total of 50.7 inches of snow has fallen at Anchorage since the start of December, and the airport reported a snow depth of 19 inches as of Friday," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

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Race officials told the Alaska Daily News in mid-February that there was "ample snow" for this year's ceremonial start and that there is deep snow throughout the course, although conditions can constantly change.

“I think with the amount of snow we have, it’s going to be, once again, a challenging race," Race Director Mark Nordman said. "But our top teams, it seems like they’re so well prepared that it doesn’t really seem to affect them."

While it will be relatively mild for mushing purposes, the weather will not create any problems for Sunday's restart in Willow.

"Sunday afternoon is expected to be dry in Willow with temperatures climbing not far from freezing," Pydynowski said. "Monday may bring another dry and calm day before snow spreads back over the path of the mushers on Tuesday into Tuesday night."

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