Veteran Alaska musher Dallas Seavey claimed his third straight Iditarod Sled Dog Race title early on Tuesday morning, crossing the finish line in Nome
ahead of his father, Mitch Seavey, for the second straight year.
In his 10th race, the 29-year-old Seavey claimed his fourth title in five years. Contestants battled high winds and temperatures that reached 10 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius) in the final night while guiding teams of dogs nearly 1,000 miles across the state's wilderness.
An exuberate Seavey ran alongside his sled, high-fiving fans and pumping his fist as he crossed the snowy finish line in Nome.
Seavey broke his own record, finishing the race in eight days, 11 hours, 20 minutes and 16 seconds.
"It was a heck of a trip all the way from the start," he said after his win. "It was ups and downs. It wasn't as straightforward as last time. It came together with an awesome little team."
The Seaveys exchanged leads throughout the race's second half. Dallas Seavey, however, had about a 40-minute edge coming into White Mountain, where mushers must take an eight-hour rest about 77 miles from the finish line.
