View source for 2008 Iditarod

{{Missing|the final standings and award winners|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox sports competition event
| competition   = 36th Annual [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]]
| image         = 2008 Iditarod event logo.jpg
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| venue         = [[Iditarod Trail]]
| location      = [[Alaska]]
| dates         = March 1-12, 2008
| competitors   = 
| champion      = [[Lance Mackey]]
| previous      = [[2007 Iditarod]]
| next          = [[2009 Iditarod]]
}}

The '''2008 Iditarod''' featured 95 [[Mushing|mushers]] and [[Sled dog|dog teams]]. The '''36th Annual [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]]''' ceremonially began on Saturday March 1, 2008. The competitive start was the next day. 

The 1,161 mile (1,868 km) [[Dogsled racing|dogsled race]] ran through the American state of [[Alaska]]. The Iditarod course extends from just north of [[Anchorage]] to [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]].

The majority of competing teams hailed from the [[United States]], while notable other teams from [[Norway]], [[Germany]], and [[Canada]] were in the running. <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/canadians-join-the-pack-as-the-iditarod-gets-underway-1.724978|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026065548/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/03/01/iditarod-race.html|url-status=live|archive-date=October 26, 2012|title=6 Canadians join the pack as the Iditarod gets underway|date=2 March 2008 | work=CBC News| access-date= 2 March 2008 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

The competition was one of the closest in recent memory, with defending champion [[Lance Mackey]] and four-time winner [[Jeff King (mushing)|Jeff King]] mushing neck-and-neck for much of the race. Ultimately, the race was won by Mackey, who reached the final checkpoint at 2:46 AM on March 12. Notably, this is the second year in a row Mackey has finished first in both the Iditarod and the [[Yukon Quest]], a feat once thought impossible.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.adn.com/2693/story/342356.html 
 |title=Lance Mackey wins his second Iditarod 
 |date=12 March 2008 
 |accessdate=12 March 2008 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313161242/http://www.adn.com/2693/story/342356.html 
 |archivedate=13 March 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

==Canine fatalities == 
Three dogs perished in Iditarod 36. The first was a 7-year-old male on the team of John Stetson, from [[Duluth, Minnesota]]. This dog died of [[pneumonia]]. The second dog, 3-year-old Lorne was a member of Jennifer Freking's team.  Lorne was killed when a snowmobiler crashed into Freking's team. The third death was 4-year-old Cargo, a member of Ed Iten's team, in which the cause of death is unknown.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.iditarod.com/ The official site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060402193750/http://iditablog.com/ Blogging the Iditarod Trail]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080304155144/http://race.ionearth.com/iditarod/ Live GPS Tracking of Race]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/dweekly/tags/iditarod2008/ David Weekly's Creative Commons licensed Iditarod 2008 Pictures on Flickr]

[[Category:2008 in sports in Alaska|Iditarod]]
[[Category:Iditarod]]
[[Category:March 2008 sports events in the United States]]