Print article DESHKA LANDING The 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race marked Dallas Seavey’s return to the race he dominated the previous decade, and he came into it wanting to make a statement. He did exactly that with the laser-focus approach that made him a four-time champion before he turned 30. He ran a methodical race that left everyone chasing him and now, at age 34, he’s a five-time champion. Shortly after crossing the Deshka Landing finish line Monday morning to match Rick Swenson as the Iditarod’s winningest musher, Seavey made another statement, a sharp and carefully worded explanation for why he left the race for three years and why he’s back now.
The 49th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race concluded with a familiar winner and a record-tying finish.
Musher Dallas Seavey won his record-tying fifth Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race championship on Monday by crossing the finish line at 5:08 am Alaska Daylight Time.
The veteran musher crossed the finish line in seven days, 14 hours, eight minutes and 57 seconds with 10 dogs in harness. Dallas Seavey s win in Iditarod 49 epitomizes the grit, determination and perseverance for which our race is synonymous, said Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach said in a statement. This year, teams were challenged unlike ever before, which included traversing the notorious Dalzell Gorge and Alaska Range twice, and Dallas showed incredible adaptability with being able to excel in arctic camping, strategic run timing and dog whispering in concert with our stringent COVID-19 protocols. Congratulations to Dallas and we thank Iditarod Nation for their support this year.
Print article McGRATH In the final big push of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race on Sunday, top competitors were leapfrogging one another, jockeying for a lead as they re-cross the Alaska Range. Aaron Burmeister passed four-time champion Dallas Seavey on Saturday afternoon, as the front-runner rested his dogs by Tin Creek, about two dozen miles from the Rohn checkpoint. “This is what we’ve been building up the team for the entire race. It’s taken a lot of patience but it’s the game plan I came in with,” Nome/Nenana musher Aaron Burmeister told Iditarod Insider in McGrath.
Print article Things are heating up in an Iditarod that has dished out extreme cold in recent days. Aaron Burmeister and a full team of 14 dogs were the first to reach Rohn as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race rushes to what could be a dramatic conclusion. Burmeister arrived at the Rohn checkpoint at 4:26 p.m. Saturday, but Dallas Seavey stole the lead while Burmeister was taking a break. The third musher to reached the checkpoint, Seavey left after six minutes. He’s on his way to Rainy Pass as teams make an unprecedented return trip through the Alaska Range in this year’s novel out-and-back race.
The four-time champion left the final checkpoint before the finish line at 8:44 p.m. Sunday. A win would match Rick Swenson’s record five championships.