[1][2][3] Fifty-two dog mushers participated in the race, among them former Iditarod champions Joar Leifseth Ulsom, Mitch Seavey, Martin Buser, Lance Mackey, and Jeff King; other veteran mushers such as Aliy Zirkle and Nicolas Petit; and ten rookies, including Blair Braverman.

[9] Nicolas Petit, an early frontrunner in the race, dropped out on March 11 after his dogs refused to run farther.

The Iditarod Trail Committee's lead drug tester resigned prior to the signup, under pressure from some of the competitors.

[12] Companies Jack Daniels and Wells Fargo dropped their sponsorship of the race, possibly due to pressure from animal rights' activists.

[13][14][15][16] The general warmer climate of Alaskan winters over previous years due to global warming had mounted concerns that there would be a lack of snow for the race to utilize.