Dallas Seavey has won his third Iditarod in the last four years, beating his father to the finish line in Nome early Wednesday after racing 1,000 miles across Alaska.
Seavey came in under the city’s famous burled arch finish line to wild applause from fans lining the street, some who poured out of the bars that stayed open into the wee hours.
An exhausted Seavey, who also won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2012 and 2014, petted and hugged his dogs after their victory.
“It takes a whole team to get any of us here,” he told reporters at a finish line ceremony, which was broadcast and live-streamed. Later, he hoisted two of his dogs onto his lap and officials draped the animals with garlands of yellow flowers.
“As long as you take care of the dog team (and) make good decisions, good things will happen. Wins are a result of doing what we love,” Seavey said, adding that he tried to keep the race fun.
He said he and his father, Mitch Seavey, who won titles in 2013 and 2004, encouraged each other along the way. The elder Seavey was in second place.
Dallas Seavey increasingly put distance between himself and the rest of the field during the latter part of the race. He held a 25-mile advantage early Tuesday — a far cry from how he won the race last year. He was running third in the 2014 Iditarod when a freak snowstorm blew the leaders out of the race, and Seavey didn’t know he had won the race until a cameraman broke the news to him.
Seavey was presented Wednesday with $70,000 and the keys to a new pickup truck. The winner’s purse increased this year, and the top prize was $19,600 more than what he pocketed for last year’s race.
Via al.com
image credit Loren Holmes AP Photo
