Jessie Holmes and his sled dogs championed the longest course in Iditarod’s 53 years on Friday March 14 at 2:55 a.m. when they pulled under the Burled Arch. Holmes was led into Nome by dogs Hercules and Polar.

Snow was laid through the streets the night before from downtown Anchorage to the Sullivan Arena for the Ceremonial Start of the 53rd Iditarod on Saturday, March 1.

Out of the 33 teams, an astounding 16 of them are rookies this year. Spectators followed the race down the Chena River along the road system to the town of Nenana, where the racers took their first rest before jumping onto the Tanana River.

“The Last Great Race” is officially into the Alaskan wilderness and on the trails. 

With Fairbanks-area local, Jeff Reid, finishing under the Burled Arch in Nome on March 16th, the 2024 Iditarod is complete with twenty-nine of the original thirty-eight mushers finishing the entire race. This year was an eventful race with more than one record broken, tragic dog deaths on the trail for the first time in years, snowmachine harassment of the mushers, and a competitive race full of veterans and rookies.