article_snippet: But the official start two days later has been moved 225 miles (360 kilometers) north, over the Alaska Range, to Fairbanks to avoid the area that left many mushers bruised and bloodied last year.
article_snippet: The new route, which puts mushers on river ice for about 600 miles, could level the playing field.
article_snippet: The route change eliminates the mountainous terrain and treacherous gorge, but The route change could present mushers with a whole new set of problems with a flat trail on unpredictable river ice.
article_snippet: Plus, because it's an entirely new route, mushers say mushers can't rely much on information, even something as simple as the mileage between village checkpoints, provided by Iditarod officials.
article_snippet: By removing the Alaska Range, mushers may assume it will be a very fast race, Seavey said. '