|
 Seavey, aiming for his second straight victory and third in four
years, led his father, Mitch Seavey, with fewer than 75 miles (121
km) of trail left late on Tuesday night.
All competitors are required to rest eight hours at a checkpoint 75
miles from the finish line in Nome. Dallas Seavey rested early
Tuesday evening, putting about 30 miles between him and his father
and another veteran challenger, Aaron Burmeister.
The Iditarod, a race of nearly 1,000 miles across Alaskan
wilderness, commemorates a 1925 mission to bring diphtheria serum by
dog-sled relays to Nome, on Alaska's west coast. This year's race is
the 43rd annual event, and a Seavey has won each of the last three.
Mitch Seavey won his first in 2004 and won again in 2013, becoming
the oldest champion at age 53. Dallas Seavey won in 2012, becoming
the youngest musher to win at age 25, and won again last year.
This year's winner takes a $70,000 purse plus a pick-up truck.
In an interview posted on the Iditarod web site on Tuesday, Dallas
Seavey recalled how Jeff King "had it in the bag," last year before
fierce winds knocked him out of the race.
"Crazy, crazy things can happen," he said. "We're not picking out
colors for the truck yet."
When the race started more than a week ago, mushers spoke mostly of
the alternate course, which was designed to avoid sections that race
officials deemed unsafe, and the return of four-time champion Lance
Mackey.
But as the race progressed, talk of the Seaveys running first and
second prevailed.
[to top of second column] |
Before the race, Mitch Seavey said he and his son had been "pretty
tight-lipped" about their strategies for years, fearing the other
might gain an advantage, but now their relationship is less
competitive.
"I think both of our recent success has made us comfortable and
secure," Mitch Seavey said. "We are actually having a lot of fun
with it."
Dallas Seavey said before the race he felt the same.
"There are very few people you can talk to about that and have them
actually understand what I'm talking about," he said.
"I'm super proud of him. It's great having him in the race, but it's
still difficult this time of year."
(Editing by Curtis Skinner and Larry King)
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