ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Brent Sass has won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska.
The 42-year-old wilderness guide and kennel owner came off the Bering Sea ice and drove his team of 11 dogs down Nome's Front Street to cross the finish line shortly before 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
A police cruiser escorted his team to the finish line and fans lined both sides of Nome’s main street to greet the popular musher.
After the race, Sass praised his dogs.
“It’s all on them," he said, according to the Anchorage Daily News. "They did an excellent job the whole race.”
Sass completed the race in 8 days, 14 hours, 38 minutes and 43 seconds. The second-place finisher completed the race a little more than an hour later.
This was the first Iditarod win for Sass, who was the race’s Rookie of the Year in 2012.
His previous best finish was third place last year.
The 42-year-old native of Minnesota moved north in 1998 to ski for the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
