By Emily Langer
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Say what you will about global warming -- it's still cold in Alaska. But even up there, the climate has changed enough to discombobulate the Iditarod, the annual 1,150-mile dog-sled race across mountains, frozen rivers and tundra.

Snow had to be trucked in to cushion the streets of Anchorage for the race's ceremonial start there this weekend. Sunday's "re-start," or official beginning, used to be hosted by the city of Wasilla, 50 miles farther north, but it's been insufficiently snowbound since 2003. So this year, officials permanently pushed the race another 30 miles northwest to the more remote town of Willow.

Jon Little, who competed in five Iditarods from 1999 to 2003, says that urban sprawl is also overrunning the race. Huskies tend to slip and slide on the paved roads of the state's boomtowns.

But even with the warming weather, the Iditarod remains one of the world's greatest tests of endurance. Here's a look at what the changing temperatures mean for the dogs.

-- Brrrrrr: In 1973, during the inaugural Iditarod, the wind chill plummeted to 130 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, making the first race the coldest. Temperatures like that put dogs at risk of . . .

-- Husky frostbite: With their thick coats, the dogs stay warm at temperatures as low as 60 below zero Fahrenheit. They race best when it's between 20 below and 10 above. But watch out for that wind chill factor -- it can hit the huskies where it hurts the most. That hasn't been a problem lately because it's been . . .

-- So balmy: In 2003, too much rain and too little snow forced officials to move the race's start 300 miles north, from Wasilla to Fairbanks. The worry was . . .

-- The slush factor: Slushy rain freezes into jagged ice, which can cut the pads of dogs' feet. That means they need to . . .

-- Dress smart: Huskies wear booties to protect their paws, and a musher might start the Iditarod with as many as 1,000 booties for the team. At a dollar apiece, that can really sting.