ANCHORAGE, Alaska >> Brent Sass was just miles from fulfilling his dream of winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska when vicious, 60-mph (96-kph) winds whipped in from the Bering Sea, taking visibility down to about 10 feet (3 meters) and forcing him off his sled as his dogs hunkered down in the snow.

“I did not voluntarily make that stop,” laughed Sass, who was nearing his first Iditarod victory last year but had five-time champion Dallas Seavey just a few miles behind. “We got blown off the trail and it took me an hour to get all my stuff back together and figure out where I was.”

Sass regrouped and led his team of 11 dogs off the Bering Sea ice and down Nome’s main street to the iconic burled arch finish line, winning the Iditarod, the world’s most famous sled dog race, in his seventh attempt.

Sass is back to defend his title in the race, which began Saturday with a fan-friendly 11-mile (18-kilometer) jaunt through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Thousands of people braved temperatures hovering near 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-17.78 degree Celsius) to line up to cheer on the mushers, who carried “Iditariders,” lucky auction winners, on their sleds for the ceremonial start.

Things get serious Sunday with the competitive start of the race that will take mushers nearly 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) across Alaska. It begins in Willow, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Anchorage.

Sass was enthusiastic to get on the trail Saturday, with 11 of 14 dogs returning from last year’s championship team. “I think the replacements ... are stronger dogs, so I’m really excited,” he said.

He’s expecting mild temperatures until mushers hit the western coast, where there’s been more fluctuations and predicting trail conditions is almost meaningless since they change so fast.

“They’ve went from icy trails to snow trails and back and forth all season,” he said. “I think we’re going to get what we get.”

This is the 51st running of the Iditarod, but its 33 mushers are the smallest field ever to start the race. Mushers and race organizers point to the retirement of some veteran mushers; others taking a break to recoup financially after the pandemic; inflation, and the loss of deep-pocketed sponsors amid continuing pressure from the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.