Gnome, Alaska (AP) – Former reality TV star Jesse Holmes has won the longest victory everIditarod Trail Thread Dog RaceOn Friday, we celebrate with fist cheers and cheers, taking photos with our two flower wreath-appearing head teammates, Hercules and Polar.
Holmes was first on the finish line at Gnome Gold Rushtown on the Bering Sea coast. raceIt started at Fairbanks on March 3rd.After a lack of snow, it was forcibly changed to routes and starting points.
This has made the normally 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race a staggering 1,129-mile (1,817-kilometer) race over the Alaska wilderness. Holmes finished in 14 hours on the 10th in 55 minutes and 41 seconds.
“It’s hard to put words in, but that’s a magical feeling,” Holmes said shortly after crossing the finish line.
Holmes, who was in the eighth competition, previously finished five in the top 10. His seventh place finish in 2018, including third place and 2022 last year, with his first Iditarod, earning his Rookie of the Year honors.
Born and raised in Alabama, Holmes left at the age of 18 and worked as a carpenter in Montana for three years. He arrived in Alaska in 2004 and found a dog on an adventure in a remote area on the Yukon River.
“It’s been a really great 10 days and I’ve been soaked up in all of that – low, the best, in Bettwain. …I’m really proud of these dogs, and I love them. And they did it. They deserve all the credit,” Holmes said.
He gave a special salute to his two lead dogs, Hercules, his semi-sprint dog, Polar, saying, “He’s the brain behind the surgery.”
Holmes currently lives in Nenana, where he works as a carpenter and lives a self-sufficient lifestyle. From 2015 to 2023, he was a cast member of Life lower Zero, a national geographic program that documents the struggle in Alaska, living in remote parts of the state.
On top of thatLack of snowThe north north of Alaska forced the Fairbanks to change its starting point, which required race organizers to change Anchorage’s ritual start.
As snow fell to cover the streets of the state’s largest city, the regular parade route was reduced from 11 miles to two miles (from about 18 to less than 3.2 kilometers), reducing the number of dogs.
Starting at Fairbanks, only 33 mashers are tied together in 2023 with the smallest field. The decline in participants included inflation, climate change, andPressure from animal rights groups.
A dog passed away at this year’s Iditarod. A pregnant woman on Masher Daniel Klein’s team scratched for death under race rules.
Almost a third of mashers left early. This led to eight and two people who were caught because of their lack of competitiveness.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.
