The 1,609-km race started on March 5 in Willow for 33 mushers, who travelled over two mountain ranges, the frozen Yukon River and on the Bering Sea ice.

Store-bought food is prohibitively expensive for many: A gallon (3.8 liters) of milk can cost nearly $10, and a pound of steak was recently $34 in Kaltag, an interior village.