This afternoon, 17 teams took off in a mass start for the 2022 Akiak Dash. Out of the 17 teams in the field, seven of them are rookies.
Slideshow: 17 mushers take off for the Akiak Dash mass start
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Teams race across the frozen Kuskokwim River to begin the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
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Matt Scott prepares his dog for the line ahead of the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
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Dogs wait patiently for their chance to run the Akiak Dash on January 29, 2022 in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin
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Sled dog teams prepare for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash on Jan. 29 in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile
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Sled dog teams prepare for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash on Jan. 29 in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin
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A handler helps a dog into some booties ahead of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin
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Rookie Keith Ekamarak prepares for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin
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Dogs wait patiently for their chance to run the Akiak Dash on Jan. 29, 2022 in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin
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Thomas Carl and his team wait for the start of the Akiak Dash on Jan. 29, 2022 in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin / KYUK
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A handler poses with some pups from the Tag Along Kennel before the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash on Jan. 29 in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
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The Larsons prepare for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
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Rookie Keith Ekamarak prepares for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin
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Regining Akiak Dash Champion Jackie Larson prepares for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Elyssa Loughlin / KYUK
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Carl Andrew waits for the start of the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile
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Mushers take off in a mass start on the frozen Kuskokwim River to begin the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
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Mushers take off in a mass start on the frozen Kuskokwim River to begin the 2022 Akiak Dash in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
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Young mushing fans pose for a picture after the mass start of the Akiak Dash on Jan. 29, 2022 in Bethel, Alaska.
Katie Basile / KYUK
