The iconic 1,000-mile long Iditarod dog sled race has gotten off on the wrong foot this year due to the lack of snow, as a warmer than usual winter has once again probed the races starting line with issues.

The Iditarod begins with a ceremonial 11-mile race through Anchorage to kick off the near 1,000 miles journey to Noam. And this year the races organizers were forced to bring in snow by train so that the opening of the race could be made possible through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska.

According to the National Weather Service, Anchorage usually sees about 61 inches of snow at this time of the year. In recent years the growing winter temperatures have forced organizers to move the location of the starting point 225 miles north to colder temperatures.

The warmer weather is bad for many reasons, but for the race itself it means there is more free flowing water on trails, which can be dangerous for both the dogs and the mushers. The hotter temperatures are not as bad for the mushers as they are for the dogs, which make the dogs for susceptible to heat exhaustion and makes it harder for the mushers to get food into them.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, temperatures in Alaska have risen at a rate that is double that of the lower 48 states and these increases show no signs of slowing down.