The race is meant to commemorate and celebrate the history of Alaska and the critical part that sled dogs have played in the settlement of the state.

A lack of snow along a dangerous stretch of trail has led organizers of the world’s most famous sled dog race to move the start of the Iditarod farther north.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will now start in Fairbanks, not Willow, due to a lack of snow, race officials announced Monday. The last-minute change follows alarms raised by some mushers over the weekend who said stretches of the trail were not safe for their teams.