As if winning the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race isn’t historic enough. This year’s winner, Mitch Seavey, will also go down in history as the oldest to claim a victory.
“This is for all of the gentlemen of a certain age,” the 53-year-old said, as he crossed the finish line with his 10-dog team, as quoted by The Associated Press. His race time: Nine days, 7 hours, 39 minutes, AP said.
The race is 1,000 miles across the Alaskan wild.
Mr. Seavey was forced to sprint to the finish line. Last year’s runner-up, Aliv Zirkle, came in a close second — just 24 minutes after Mr. Seavey, AP reported.
And in a show of grace during victory, Mr. Seavey recognized Mr. Zirkle’s racing ability.
“You did a good job,” he told Mr. Zirkle, AP reported. “You’re going to win this thing, probably more than once.”
This isn’t Mr. Seavey’s first Iditarod win; he brought home the first place trophy in 2004, AP reports.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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