It's been a wild ride to the Iditarod finish line, especially since the world has changed so much since the start of this year's race.
It isn't over until the last racer reaches Nome, though. Finishers will continue to ride in on Front Street over the next several days.
Here's a look at today's stories.
Musher Thomas Waerner of Norway celebrates his Iditarod win with lead dogs K2, left, and Bark. (Marc Lester / ADN)
• "This is something special": Thomas Waerner's Iditarod win today was a childhood dream come true. Propelling him to success: his lead dogs, K2 and Bark (!).
Aaron Burmeister gives a thumbs up as he rides down Front Street in Nome. (Marc Lester / ADN)
• The bubble bursts: As the race winds down, mushers are returning to real-world problems, namely the novel coronavirus pandemic. They have different ways of coping: Aaron Burmeister says he'll catch up after he gets some rest. Waerner, who faces a two-week quarantine if he returns to Norway, might end up spending more time in Alaska. As for Brent Sass, he's "looking forward to getting back to (his) place in the Bush and not learning anything about this disease stuff and staying away."
Mitch Seavey, who took second in this year's race, is greeted by his son Dallas — a four-time Iditarod champ — in Nome. (Marc Lester / ADN)
• Mitch Seavey's secret strategy: Apparently, it involves being over 60 and getting extra rest. Seavey, who has three Iditarod wins under his belt, rocketed from 15th place back at Cripple to finish this year's race as the runner-up. Here's more on Seavey and the rest of our top 10.
• The scene in Nome: ADN visual journalist Marc Lester was there when the race's front-runners reached Nome, and the images he made are absolutely beautiful. Some examples below...
Brent Sass hugs Ida Mortensen in Nome after finishing in fourth place. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Tenth-place finisher Travis Beals rubs his dog Granger after reaching the finish line. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Ready for their closeup: Mitch Seavey's dog team arrives in Nome. (Marc Lester / ADN)
• "It's heartbreaking": Quince Mountain, an Iditarod rookie this year who was in the Red Lantern position, was withdrawn from the race by officials who cited the rule about competitiveness. ADN Iditarod correspondent Blair Braverman, who is married to Mountain, tweeted that Iditarod officials are trying to close checkpoints early as a precaution related to the novel coronavirus. Blair added: "Q told the dogs they did so well that they won Iditarod early."
Thanks for following our coverage of this year's race. We're winding down the frequency of these emails, so you'll probably only hear from us a couple more times.
As always, thanks for reading — and happy trails!
— Vicky Ho, vho@adn.com
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