Alabama native claims second straight title at Alaskan sled dog race
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The Alabama to Alaska pipeline may not be very strong but for Jessie Holmes, it was about chasing a dream.
This week, that dream hit another milestone as Holmes—with the help of some of his best friends—repeated as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion.
Keep reading to learn more about the annual race + Holmes’ journey to become a champion.
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
The annual event is held in Alaska with sleds traveling from Anchorage to Nome, covering 975 miles. The competition can last between 1-2 weeks.
There were officially 34 sleds in this year’s race with each competitor having a team of 12-15 dogs pulling the sled.
Jessie Holmes finished this year’s race in 9 days, 7 hours and 32 minutes. That was roughly four hours ahead of the second place finisher.
He becomes the sixth person in the competition’s history to win consecutive titles.
“I’ve been chasing greatness ever since the last time I was here. So we’re just going to keep chasing those footsteps, trying to push ourselves every day to be better.”
Jessie Holmes via AP
According to a story from the Associated Press, Holmes made a late change to his lead dog, going back to one of his older dogs, Polar, for the final charge. And Polar delivered.
Jessie Holmes
Jessie Holmes was born and raised in Alabama but moved away from the state at 18, looking to travel across the continent. He would eventually settle down in Alaska in 2004.
Before becoming a champion sledder, Holmes was a star on the National Geographic reality show called “Life Below Zero” which highlighted what life is like for different people living in Alaska.
Holmes is the third competitor in the 54-year history of the race to repeat the year after winning for the first time.
According to the AP, Holmes’ first Iditarod was in 2018 when his seventh place finish earned him rookie of the year honors. He has now raced in the Iditarod nine times, earning seven top 10 finishes.
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