Dallas Seavey became a four-time Iditarod champion Tuesday, pulling into Nome, Alaska, in record-breaking time to cheering crowds lining the streets.
His dad, Mitch Seavey, came in second place in the 44th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, but still beat his son’s old 2014 record by almost an hour, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
Dallas Seavey, 28, finished this year’s race — about 1,000 miles — in eight days, 11 hours, 20 minutes and 16 seconds, breaking his previous record by nearly two hours, the Iditarod Trail Committee reported.
Seavey pulled into Nome around 2 a.m. (6 a.m. ET), running beside his team of six dogs.
In 2005, he was the youngest musher ever to participate in the race and finished in 51st place, according to Iditarod.com. His win in 2012 made him the youngest champion ever. This year’s victory is his fourth in five years.
Man charged in snowmobile attack
This year’s race was marred by the death of one sled dog in what appeared to be an intentional attack.
Nash, one of the dogs in four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King’s team, died after being hit by a man on a snow machine (also called a snowmobile) on the trail early Saturday.
Alaska state troopers arrested Arnold Demoski, 26, of Nulato in connection with that incident and a similar one with another sled team.
CNN affiliate KTUU-TV in Anchorage spoke with Demoski, who told the Anchorage station that he regretted being out on his snowmobile after a night of drinking.
“I made a mistake, shouldn’t have been driving last night,” he told the station in a video posted on its Facebook page. “It wasn’t intentional though.”
Demoski added, “I just want to say I’m sorry and I feel bad for what I did.”
Aliy Zirkle said earlier a snow machine sideswiped her sled as she made her way toward the Nulato checkpoint. Zirkle told authorities a man turned his machine around several times and came back at her before leaving the scene. One of her dogs was bruised, state police said.
Demoski was charged Saturday with two counts of third-degree assault, one count of reckless endangerment, one count of reckless driving and six counts of fifth-degree criminal mischief.