Iditarod 2012: Dallas Seavey Becomes Youngest Winner In History

Dallas Seavey has become the youngest winner ever of the “Last Great Race,” the Iditarod dog-sled mush across Alaska.

“I had five lead dogs on this team, and I had to have every single one of them to do their parts of the race,” Seavey said, reported the Associated Press, shortly after crossing the finish line in Nome.

Seavey, who turned 25 on March 4, the day the race officially started, travelled for nine grueling days, four hours, 29 minutes and 26 seconds with nine dogs pulling his sled to the finish line approximately 7:29 p.m. Tuesday. After 1,000 miles from the starting point in Anchorage, Seavey and his dogs were exhausted.

“It’s just now hitting me,” said Seavey, according to Reuters. “About four miles ago, I just crashed.”

The ice, combined with the frigid temperatures and windy conditions, forced many mushers to slow down. But Seavey’s dog, Guinness, who acted as a lead dog for short time, kept trudging through the Alaskan wilderness.

Musher Dallas Seavey of Willow, Alaska, runs his dogs down Front Street to the finish line, winning the 40th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska March 13, 2012. Seavey, competing against both his father and grandfather, won the race on Tuesday, becoming the youngest musher crowned champion of the storied Alaska event. (Reuters / Oscar Edwin Avellaneda-Cruz)

Musher Dallas Seavey of Willow, Alaska, runs his dogs down Front Street to the finish line, winning the 40th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska March 13, 2012. Seavey, competing against both his father and grandfather, won the race on Tuesday, becoming the youngest musher crowned champion of the storied Alaska event. (Reuters / Oscar Edwin Avellaneda-Cruz)

Musher Dallas Seavey of Willow, Alaska, runs his dogs down Front Street to the finish line, winning the 40th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska March 13, 2012. Seavey, competing against both his father and grandfather, won the race on Tuesday, becoming the youngest musher crowned champion of the storied Alaska event. (Reuters / Oscar Edwin Avellaneda-Cruz)

Musher Dallas Seavey pets dogs (L-R) Guinness and Roadie at the finish line after winning the 40th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska March 13, 2012. Seavey, competing against both his father and grandfather, won the race on Tuesday, becoming the youngest musher crowned champion of the storied Alaska event. (Reuters / Oscar Edwin Avellaneda-Cruz)