Dallas Seavey, who trained as a wrestler at the U.S. Olympic Education Center at NMU, won a record-tying fifth championship in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Monday morning, matching the mark of Rick Swenson. Seavey had made Iditarod history twice before: in 2005, when he became the youngest musher to run the race; and in 2012, when he became the youngest to win it.
“Ever since I won my first Iditarod and was the youngest to win, people have been asking about ‘Oh, you're gonna get five, you're gonna get five,' and I've always said, ‘I'm gonna get the next one and someday five may be the next one," he said "Now that's today, it's finally the next one and we got it."
Seavey reached the Deshka Landing finish line at 5:08 a.m., completing this year's shortened race in 7 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes and 57 seconds. He is a third-generation musher who grew up helping his dad, Mitch, the 2004/2013/2018 Iditarod champion, train his racing teams. Dallas lives in Talkeetna, Alaska.
Read the Anchorage Daily News' coverage of his fifth Iditarod victory here.