Three-time defending champion Lance Mackey and past winners Jeff King and Martin Buser have signed up in person for the 2010 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Altogether, 60 mushers were registered to compete in the 1,100-mile race to Nome, with 29 showing up at Iditarod headquarters to turn in their entry forms today (Saturday), the first day to sign up.

The overall number of first-day entries was down from 67 for the 2007 race, 71 for 2008 race and 68 for this year's race, but above the first day entries of 54 for the 2006 race, according to Stan Hooley, executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee.

The mushers will be competing for a purse of about $630,000, with $610,000 earmarked for the top 30 contenders and $1,049 apiece for all other finishers.

The race always begins the first Saturday in March with a short
ceremonial start in Anchorage, to take place March 6 for the 2010
event.

The competitive racing will begin the next day at the restart in Willow, about 50 miles north of Anchorage.

The final deadline to sign up is Nov. 30.

Under new rules, mushers had the option of signing up today at the annual Iditarod volunteers picnic, or submitting entry forms and the $4,000 race fee by mail in time to be recorded at the picnic, which gives them an edge in the race lineup.

Among those signing up by mail was 2004 Iditarod winner Mitch Seavey.

In previous years, only mushers who signed up at the picnic were put into the so-called first tier to determine the order in which they would draw their actual starting positions.

Those who sign up after Saturday will draw their starting positions in the order in which they register.