The eighth time proved the charm for Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race musher Jesse Holmes, who crossed under the fishing arch in Nome in 10 days, 15 hours and 41 seconds – winning the longest Iditarod on record, in much part due to a lack of snow on the trail.
Holmes, 43, who was born and raised in Alabama and left that state at age 18 to become a carpenter in Montana, arrived in Alaska in 2004 and began running dogs on a remote location of the Yukon River. At the finish line, shortly before 3 a.m. on March 14, Holmes described his finish as “a magical feeling.”
“It’s not about this moment now,” he said. “It’s about all the moments along the trail.”
Holmes was the Rookie of the Year in 2018.
Climate change played a big role in this year’s race, with just 22 mushers completing the course – the fewest since the first Iditarod in 1973. The trail was the longest in Iditarod history, a total of 1,128 miles, compared to the norm of about 1,000 miles. Race officials, plagued by a dearth of snow, had to move the start north to Fairbanks. Racers found themselves slogging through soft snow, followed later by a sandstorm further up the trail.
In the words of Paige Drobny: “70 miles of crap.”
Heading out of Unalakleet on the west coast they battled strong headwinds.
Matt Hall of Two Rivers, Alaska, finished second, just about three hours after Holmes.
Former Iditarod champions Mitch Seavey, of Seward, and Ryan Redington, of Knik, finished seventh and eighth respectively.
Rookie Ebbe Pederson of Alta, Norway, claimed the Red Lantern after crossing the finishing arch at Nome on March 17 with 12 dogs still on his team. As the Red Lantern winner, Pedersen received $1,000 and the honor of extinguishing the widow’s lamp hanging on the burled arch at Nome. The last musher on the trail, Jenny Roddewig, of Fairbanks, scratched at White Mountain.
Eleven mushers who began the race in Fairbanks dropped from the competition at various checkpoints along the way.
