Check out amazing drone video of Minnesota's most beautiful and iconic spots in ourYouTube playlist: Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. After photos in the finish chute Tuesday, Seavey mushed his team to the nearby dog yard. Nikolai, with a population of 125, was the first Alaska Native village that mushers visited, at mile 263. I think, living where I live and making it an all-inclusive lifestyle, thats, you know, the way it used to be, its kind of the way it is for me, Sass said at White Mountain on Monday. "This year, the biggest challenge was sort of the mental warfare," he said with a chuckle. There's rules. The 42-year-old won the 2022 Iditarod on March 15 at 5:38 AM. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. But once they got to White Mountain, his dog team refused to leave for hours. When Iditarod musher Michelle Phillips sled broke late March 7, Redington offered her his spare sled waiting at the McGrath checkpoint. "Brass tax of it is, we're in a race. Brent and his team are excited to be back on the Iditarod trail again in 2023! But illness plagued his dog team early on. The nearly 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race across Alaska began Mar. That just makes this victory even sweeter.. Iditarod winner Brent Sass poses for photos with lead dogs Morello, left, and Slater in the finish chute of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Seavey closed the gap as Sass stalled. Three of the four Indigenous mushers in the race Richie Diehl, Peter Kaiser and Ryan Redington finished in the top 10. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Musher Brent Sass won the arduous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska on Tuesday (March 15, 2022) as his team of 11 dogs dashed off the Bering Sea ice through a crowd of fans in downtown Nome. There are not a whole lot of Native mushers left up here in the North. Mushers are required to take an eight hour layover somewhere on the Yukon River. All rights reserved. He earned another award for being the first to reach the Yukon River, which includes a five-course meal and $3,500. And I never literally lost that dream. The route took mushers along Alaskas untamed and unforgiving wilderness, including two mountain ranges, the frozen Yukon River and Bering Sea ice along the states western coastline. Sass took command of this years race early on and never was challenged, but the final stretch of the race might have been the toughest, with extreme winds blowing on the Bering Sea ice leading into Nome. Alaska Native artistry received the spotlight during the Iditarod. Sass led much of the race, not knowing how far five-time champion Dallas Seavey was behind him. That, and a storm that sent many in the race into a tailspin. But that didnt happen.

I had a dream since I was five years old, to come to Alaska, Sass said . I asked a lot of them, and they preformed perfectly, he said. The whole premise is about a guy who goes away from home and goes off and does his own thing and hes wild and free, explained Sass. Where were at is probably a best-case scenario for them. Brent Sass and his 11-dog team pulled into Nome early Tuesday in temperatures around zero to a cheering crowd. By Diana Haecker Contribute $5 or $10 today to help Indian Country Today carry out its critical mission. Rightfully so. I dont mind the wind, just them not feeling well in the beginning.. Every day is exciting, whether it is traveling on a new trail or learning something new about the dogs. NOME, Alaska Musher and Minnesota native Brent Sass has claimed his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, crossing the finish line in Nome, Alaska early Tuesday. His team, he said, suffered an early race setback when the dogs wouldnt eat and he had to slowly nurse them back. (Photo courtesy of Iditarod Insider). For him and his team, the best thing to do was get out of the worsening weather situation by mushing into Nome and onto the win. But when he told the story, after a meal and a nap, it didnt sound like fun. Its been a long race., Richie Diehl, March 14 in Koyuk: My teams been doing awesome. Thank you, Phillips told Iditarod Insider on March 9. You have permission to edit this article. Sass crossed the finish line first, despite also getting blown off the trail by a ground blizzard on the last leg to Nome, Alaska. Ultimately, "I think it passion," he said. When I started mushing, my goal was to win the Yukon Quest and win the Iditarod. He said its something he loves to do, and something that allows him to live out his dream hauling wood and running dogs at his remote homestead in Eureka, north of Fairbanks, called Wild and Free Mushing. I think my grandpa would be very proud of the race and the mushers. Every one of these dogs Ive raised since puppies, and weve been working toward this goal the whole time, he said. By the end, 12 teams had dropped out of the race. He claimed titles in that 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon, in 2015, 2019 and 2020. Behind Seavey is Jessie Holmes, Richie Diehl, Ryan Redington and Aaron Burmeister. Sass shared that he only slept about 16 hours during the eight-day race, mostly during mandatory rest periods or cuddling up to the dogs on the trail for a cat nap. Brent was born and raised in Minnesota but moved to Alaska over 20 years ago. It is Diehls third top 10 finish in eight Iditarods; he finished ninth in 2021 and sixth in 2018. In 2020, he placed fourth and was third last year. It is just too expensive., Inupiaq musher Apayauq Reitan is set to become the first transgender woman to compete in the storied Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which begins Saturday, March 5, 2022. Cloudy. It's the evolution of society, Schaeffer said. Brent Sass continues to set the pace in Iditarod 2022, Iditarod 50 shapes up to be a sprint to Nome, Brent Sass: Winning Iditarod is 'a dream come true', Iditarod mushers arrive in Nome in quick succession. Iditarod winner Brent Sass drives his team down Front Street in Nome, Alaska, on his way to the finish chute of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Every one of these dogs I've raised since puppies, and we've been working towards this goal the whole time, and we're here," he said, his voice cracking. A weather station along the trail showed winds blowing as strong as 50 miles per hour. If youre going across Alaska, you get more of a sense of scale when you travel on trails over 10 or 12 days. Sass and his team maintained a 10-mile distance ahead of Team Seavey to win the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 15, crossing the finish line at about 5:40 a.m. Alaska time. It's all on them. Mushers travel the way of the ancestors, on ancestral routes, in sight of natural features that the ancestors knew. Brent Sass, in his seventh running of the Iditarod, won the 2022 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race, arriving under the burled arch on Tuesday morning at 5:38 a.m. with 11 dogs in harness, clocking a time of eight days, 14 hours, 38 minutes and 43 seconds. Support Indian Country Today for as little as $10. Aaron Burmeister is in third place, but about 40 miles behind Seavey. Visibility was zero and he set out to find the trail again. He says the energy he brings to the trail flows into his dogs. Dogs tire faster in warm conditions, which is likely why racers are choosing to take layovers during the day and run overnight. The next year he fell back to 22nd place, before skipping the 2014 race.

He got disqualified from the 2015 race for carrying an iPod Touch. Those unfamiliar with the sport might think that being in the lead is exactly where you want to be, but strategy has taught Sass that racing, and life, isn't always about being in front. At one point during the last few miles of the race, he took a tumble, and the sled went off the trail. He is a three-time Yukon Quest (1000-mile) Champion (2015, 2019 and 2020) receiving the Vets Choice award for his dog care in 2015 and 2019. He ski poled and kicked his foot across the ground, chanting, Good boys! The crowd cheered. He called the moment "harrowing," as he thought he was going to have to concede just 50 miles short of the finish line. It was a lot of work, he said. Considering the Iditarod is 1,000 miles of flatland tundra, treacherous inclines, blizzard-prone summit passes, steep gorge descents and frigid river overflow, simply finishing the race is a significant accomplishment. He said said it could be the last time hes in Nome with his leaders, North and Prophet. In 2015 he was disqualified when race officials found he had an iPod Touch with him on the trail, a violation of race rules banning two-way communication devices because the iPod Touch could connect to the Internet. Sass, who lives in the tiny area of Eureka, about a four-hour drive northwest of Fairbanks, had more success in the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Reitan had been racing competitively but cautiously,with the intent of ensuring her team of young dogs finished the race. He flatly told KTUU that he couldnt win unless something goes wrong for Sass. While this is Sasss first Iditarod win, hes won the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest three times, plus other mid-distance races. I guess were competing to get to Nome at this point. While he characterized the situation as not life threatening to him or the dogs, he said, his worst fear was that hed see the headlight of Dallas Seavey pass by him and thus him handing the race to Seavey. This year's 50th Iditarod caused controversy, as a storm at the end of the race blew Sass and his fellow teams off the trail. They include "Run your own race" and "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." Ruby, at mile 495 with a population of 187, was the home of Athabascan musher Emmitt Peters (1940-2020), winner of the 1975 Iditarod. He added it was also a lot of fun and hes got a lot of stories now to tell. Sass grew up in Minnesota, graduated high school there and then came to Alaska to attend the University of Alaska at Fairbanks in 1998. Despite the early morning hour, hundreds of Nomeites, visitors and Iditarod fans lined Front Street when Sass dog team strutted into the finish chute. Eventually he spotted one reflective light off a trail marker and convinced his team to scramble uphill and back onto the trail. The dogs, the only reason we got out of there is because they trusted me to get them back to the trail. Sass placed 16th the following year before taking a three-year break from the Iditarod. Sass recounted how winds progressively got worse in the Topkok Hills and that just staying on the trail turned out to be a monumental challenge. He gave his dogs snacks. Although Sass has a roughly 80 mile lead on Seavey, with slightly over 400 miles left for leaders to run, the race is far from over. He has dominated the Iditarod for many years, placing first in five of his last seven races. Its the same area where Iditarod champions Susan Butcher and Rick Swenson once trained. Through tears in Nome, an emotional Sass described his pride in his dogs, including leaders Slater and Morello. When Brent Sass talks about his dog team, he always says, "We." "The dogs decided they were willing to get up and follow me back to the trail," Brent recounted. He shared that living and surviving in Alaska was a childhood dream, but that he later realized he wanted to be a musher when he saw a dog sled team while he was out skiing. I am living the exact life that I want to live. SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. Sass rested about five miles outside of Galena on Friday afternoon for several hours before hitting the trail again in the early evening. Its a dream come true, he said. Alright, guys, he said. He told Indian Country Today the fact three Alaska Natives finished in the top 10 was significant. Sass commanded control of the Iditarod since around the halfway point. Three others dealt with the white-out, wind, and cold by bringing their dogs into the warmth of shelters to weather the storm, thus breaking Iditarod rules dogs can't shelter inside during the race unless they are being seen by a vet. Hes the best right now, Sass said. He has also learned to trust his team, his preparation, and himself. I thought, Your grandfather would be so proud. Indigenous musher Richie Diehl, Denaina Athabascan, was in the top 10 the entirety of the 2022 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and came in sixth place. Gold Coast Sponsored by Ryan Air Living his dream and setting and accomplishing goals is what drives Brent every day, along with all of his incredible fan support. Theyve had a lot of spunk to em the whole race. This years winner was Aaron Burmeister. Fans lined the street welcoming the popular musher, some giving him high-fives as a police cruiser escorted Sass the final few blocks to the burled arch that marked his victory. Sass mushed down Front Street and across the finish line just before 6 a.m. Its awesome, its a dream come true, Sass said before he was presented the prize-winning check of $50,000, his beard and mustache partially encased in ice during the post-race interview. When asked about Seavey breathing down Sass neck, Sass said that he knew that Dallas would never ever give up and wave the white flag. Mushers were united in praise for their teams of sled dogs. Wind almost derailed Brent Sasss first Iditarod victory. You could fly and go from north to south in one day, but youre kind of missing the land., Indigenous musher Ryan Redington, Inupiaq, was in eighth place as of 5:40 a.m. Alaska time on the final day of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, headed for an anticipated finish in the Top 10. Lex Treinen, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage, Tegan Hanlon, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage. Its all on them. But it was a lot of work, Sass said. Being able to keep him at bay the whole entire race and race against the best guy in the business just makes this victory even sweeter. Meet Slater and Morello, the sled dogs that led Brent Sass to victory, Weeks from restarting, schools across Alaska are struggling to find teachers, Homer tidepoolers get rare glimpse of undersea critters at very low tide, Low Kenai River king counts close sport and set-net fisheries, again. (Photo courtesy of Iditarod Insider). Five-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey was chasing Sass, looking to become the winningest musher in race history. My grandparents went on a cruise when I was a kid and I saw pictures and I told my parents when I was five that Alaska was the place I wanted to go. He also placed third and fourth in the 2021 and 2000 Iditarod, respectively. CONTRIBUTE TODAY. When asked his opinion on the mushers who received penalties for sheltering their teams, Sass didn mince words. It was very, very windy out there, Sass said. I have lived in an era watching the death of dog mushing. Courtesy Iditarod. The third place musher, Jessie Holmes, was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) behind Seavey. We stuck to our game plan and ran our own race, and we werent worried about anybody else around us, Sass told Anchorage television station KTUU during his layover. Sass was the first musher to reach the Yukon, arriving in Ruby at 5:57 a.m. Friday. Diehl, Denaina Athabascan, was in the top 10 the entirety of the race. I havent looked at the time, but isnt he like three hours ahead? Seavey said. Sass said he was super, super, super proud of his dog team. The race marshal demoted those who sheltered their animals: two lost their finishing positions and one was fined. When I heard that song I was like, wow, you know, that depicted what I was trying to do. Sass won the Iditarod, despite getting blown off the trail by a ground blizzard on the last leg of the race. Eureka, Manley Hot Springs, Alaska - Brent Sass, the winner of the 2022 Iditarod, spoke to TAG24 in an exclusive interview about the challenges and the best moments of the famed sled dog race. Of the original 49 racers, 45 are still on the trail on their way to Nome. Richard Arlin WalkerSpecial to Indian Country Today. Sleep deprivation adds to the mental pressure of the Iditarod. There are no subscriptions or costs. It was very, very windy out there, we took a tumble and went off the trail and I thought we have to hunker down and wait and see how the cards fell, Sass said at the finish line. The champion recalled that it wasn't until he was about ten miles from the finish that he truly believed he might win the Iditarod, when he saw the city lights of Nome rise in front of him. This is the 50th running of the race, which started in 1973. By Friday, the vast majority of racers had taken their 24 hour layovers. Seavey was attempting to become the races most decorated musher. He and his dogs are one, a true unit. (Most mushers start with 16 and leave dogs at checkpoints depending on the dog's health and performance). In the Alaska Bush the part of Alaska not served by a road network dog mushing as a means of transportation was replaced by the snowmobile, and subsistence living is a way of life. Hes also a winner of the Kuskokwim 300.

The title came with a check for $50,000. Checked them both off the list now, he said. This years Iditarod was also still marked by the coronavirus pandemic. Sass remained unfazed. So, to have three of our people in the top 10 is still exciting. He's looking to win the race again, as many times as possible.

Seavey posed for photos with his dogs. Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community. ", "As crazy as your dream may be," he added, "Definitely don't let it go.". Sasss first Iditarod victory comes on his seventh try. In 2015 he was disqualified when race officials found he had an iPod Touch with him on the trail, a violation of race rules banning two-way communication devices because the iPod Touch could connect to the Internet. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Brent Sass continues to lead the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday (March 13, 2022), but he must hold off the defending champion as mushers have reached the Bering Sea sea coast and its treacherous ice. Sass says his dogs are his life, and he has raised most of this year's team since they were pups. RELATED: RELATED: Wind almost derailed Brent Sasss first Iditarod victory. Just keep it conservative, dont do any big pushes, and keep marching down the trail and try to maintain our speed, he told Iditarod Insider on March 10 at the checkpoint in Cripple at mile 425. He doesn't believe he put his dogs in an "insurmountable" situation. So in the end, you truly have to be excited and happy about what you're doing," Sass said. When I started my dog kennel, it just seemed like the fitting name for my operation for myself.. Our stories are worth sharing.

Seavey toward the end of the race said he was resigned to runner-up status, telling KTUU-TV at the checkpoint in White Mountain that he couldnt win unless something went wrong for Sass. Interest and inflation, what's the Federal Reserve's next move? This year, the race was shortened to smaller races on both sides of the border, with Sass winning both the 350-mile (563-kilometer) Alaska race and the 300-mile (483-kilometer) Canadian contest. Whats a dad to do? Race Marshal Mark Nordman congratulated him and Sass responded, Thank you, thank you, wow, Im tired. We took a tumble and went off the trail, and thought I was just gonna have to bunker down and, you know, see how the cards fell.. When I started mushing, my goal was to win the Yukon Quest and win the Iditarod and checked them both off the list now.. So maybe thats what I represent sort of the old school, because Im still living like Susan and Rick did back in the day.. As of press time, only Sass and Seavey had left Ruby. Our stories are worth telling. The third place musher, Jessie Holmes, was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) behind Seavey on Tuesday. He was still able to joke, saying: Weve got a pretty solid lead over third.. Related stories:Mushers face hurdles on road to Iditarod 2022Inupiaq musher set to make history in Iditarod. How fast was Seavey traveling? And in a race filled with normal trail challenges, the last stretch on the Bering Sea coast lived up to its infamous reputation. The other teams stretched as far back as Nulato, at race mile 582. The crowd stuck around to welcome Dallas Seavey into Nome. He got a big hug from his teary dad. Mushers face hurdles on road to Iditarod 2022, Inupiaq musher set to make history in Iditarod. Sass was the first to arrive in Cripple on Tuesday, where he and several other frontrunners, including Seavey, took their 24 hour layovers. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Sass got back on the trail, made it across the last mountain and down to the coast, where it was windy, but he said, at least it was flat. Sass, 42, operates the Wild and Free Kennel in Eureka, Alaska, a remote homesteader paradise that produced two other Iditarod champions: the late Susan Butcher and Rick Swenson. *Spirit of the Iditarod. Fish First Sponsored by Bristol Bay Native Corporation His previous best finish was third last year.