Shoot a moose. Overcome time penalties. Moved from 10th to 1st place. After running 1,000 miles through the Alaskan wilderness, Dallas Seavey won his record-breaking sixth Iditarod on March 12th.
Seavey jumped off the sled and ran with his dogs, pumping his fist as he neared the finish line. After his win, he hugged each of the energetic pups.
Seavey said that while the tail-wagging team isn't made up of super athletes, “they worked together all the way down the trail.”
Shortly after the race began, a moose “tangled” with Seavey's dog team. He shot the beast with his pistol. Race rules require large game animals killed to protect life or property to be disemboweled before mushers proceed.
Seavey told authorities that he gutted the moose as best he could. However, the time he spent on this task was only 10 minutes. As a result, he received a two-hour penalty.
The moose encountered Seavey's dog, Faloo, and seriously injured him. Faroo underwent two surgeries. Veterinarians are hopeful the dog will recover.
The moose meat was collected and distributed to people as food.
Seavey, 37, had a winning time of 9 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes and 8 seconds. The Iditarod record is held by his father, Mitch Seavey. Mitch completed the race in 2017 in 8 days and he completed the race in 3 hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds.
The Seavey family has deep roots in this event. Mitch Seavey's father, Dan Seavey, helped organize and compete in the first Iditarod in 1973. Mitch he's been a champion three times. Dallas was 25 years old when he won his first Iditarod in 2012. He was the youngest champion in the history of the race. Currently, he is the only musher to win six times.
The Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race is held each March. Dog mushers lead teams of 12 to 16 dogs from Anchorage to Nome. This landscape includes tundra, forests, mountain passes, rivers, and sea ice. The race honors the memory of the famous dog sled relay that brought diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska in 1925.
“This was supposed to be difficult,” Seavey told the crowd after the record win. “It had to be something special. It had to be more than just a regular Iditarod. And for me, it was.”
Let us persevere through the race set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. —Hebrews 12:1-2
