Musher smashes Iditarod race records
March 15, 2017
Veteran musher Mitch Seavey on Tuesday won the 2017 Iditarod sled race, setting a new record for the fastest completion of the nearly 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometer) race.
He beat his son's previous record by nearly eight hours, completing the race in 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds.
After crossing the finish line, he hugged his wife and proceeded to offer his fatigued dogs a snack.
"They get frustrated when they go too slow, so I just let them roll, which was scary because I've never gone that far ever, but that's what they wanted to do," Seavey said.
"They trusted me to stop them when they needed to stop and feed them, and I did that, and they gave me all they could," he added.
The 57-year-old musher also broke the record for the oldest champion to win the decades-old Iditarod race, dubbed the "last great race on earth." His prize included $75,000 (70,650 euros) and a brand new truck.
Seavey has effectively sealed his family's legacy in Iditarod race, winning the last six races between him and his son Mitch Seavey.
"There's no malice, we just love running sled dogs. No question," Mitch said.
ls/rt (Reuters, AP)