Intro:

66 mushers and their dog teams took part In a parade through the streets of Anchorage on Saturday ahead of the start of the 40th Iditarod Dog Sled Race.

Script:

Competitors for the 40th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race geared up for Sunday's start with a leisurely 11-mile run through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday.

The annual fan-fest was the last chance for supporters to get a look at their favourites mushers before they set off on their barking-mad 1,000 mile trek across Alaska.

The race starts 50 miles north of Anchorage and will see 66 mushers and their dog team's compete over the next 10 to 17 days for the prestigious Iditarod title.

Lance Mackey is one competitor who will be looking to prove his is the most dogged man in the field in his quest for glory having had his four-year string of consecutive victories snapped by John Baker in 2011.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Lance Mackey, Four-time Iditarod winner

"I always feel it's my time, or you know, my time has maybe came and went like some. But, I feel that I still have the team that's capable, I know I'm confident and I got the ability. The outcome remains to be see. I'm not going to go camping. I'm not going out there to make some new friends. We'll have some new friends at the end, we'll talk about the good and the bad afterwards. But, tomorrow morning I'm going to have blinders on and all these faces will all look the same. I have a job to do and I'm going to do it to the best of my ability and we'll see what happens."

The race begins on Sunday, with the finish line in the old gold rush town of Nome on Alaska's western coast.