Zack Steer has taken a team of "well-rounded" and strong sled dogs out on the Iditarod course this year.

This is according to the official Eye on the Trail blog, which reported on the mushers’ final preparations for the race.

The Last Great Race got underway on Saturday (March 6th 2010), with the Official Restart event taking place in Willow yesterday.

Columnist Bruce Lee said Steer is hoping for a hard and fast course that will help his sled dogs to equalise his bulky, 200 lb frame.

He also spoke to Martin Buser, who said his training style was more focused on keeping his sled dogs happy than pushing them to their limits constantly.

And Dallas Seavey revealed hopes for being the youngest-ever winner of the race after snapping up Aaron Burmeister’s team from last year, which scored a top-ten finish.

The Iditarod is expected to last ten to 14 days as the 71 mushers tackle a 1,000-mile course across Alaska.