In the pitch black of the arctic night, 53-year old Mitch Seavey crossed the finish line in Nome, Alaska to become the oldest winner in Iditarod history. His son Dallas, 25, was last year’s Iditarod champion and set his own record as the youngest winner in history.
The elder Seavey finished the 1,000-mile race in 9 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes. Right behind him was last year’s second place finisher, Aliy Zirkle. The two racers battled neck and neck through the last few checkpoints, with Zirkle as close as 13 minutes behind. But Seavey’s team expanded their lead in the home stretch with his orange and brown husky named Tanner leading the way.
Previous champ Jeff King finished in third, and the winner’s son, Dallas, finished in fourth place this year.