Sled dogs will run over 1,000 miles in the Iditarod. Watch what keeps them going.

The 2016 Iditarod Trail Dog Sled race officially kicked off on March 6 in Alaska. Mushers and their sled dogs are now racing over 1,100 miles from Anchorage to the finish line in Nome, a trip that typically takes anywhere from 9 to 12 days, although it's hard to predict.

The journey through the Alaska wilderness is trying for everyone involved. And as Alaska Public Media explains in this great video, sled dogs are not your average pets. They're super athletes trained to run thousands of miles.

But winning isn't just about speed. It's also about what the dogs eat and how often they eat it that makes a difference. Take a closer look at how the sled dogs keep up their energy:

"As we all know, to have a great athletic performance you need the genetic to meet the condition and you need nutrition," says Dr. Stewart Nelson, the chief veterinarian of the Iditarod.

In the video, Dr. Nelson explains that sled dogs consume an estimated 10,000-12,000 calories per day. What's the human equivalent? Eating about 30,000 calories per day, or about 50 Big Macs, he said.

Alaska Public Media

Go deeper:

• Iditarod.com has a history of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race.
• The Alaska Dispatch news has current standings.
• Alaska Public Media is capturing the race on Instagram.