Iditarod 2015: Daily Results, Updated Schedule Info and More from Final Week
Father’s Day came early this year at the 2015 Iditarod, as father-son duo Mitch and Dallas Seavey came in first and second place in the physically grueling race.
Dallas Seavey, who is the son, won the event for the second consecutive year with an impressive time of eight days, eight hours, 13 minutes and six seconds. He arrived at the finish line in Nome at 4:13 a.m. on March 18, although it took him longer than it did during the 2014 race.
Mitch Seavey, Dallas’ father, came in second place, Aaron Burmeister finished in third and Jessie Royer crossed the line in fourth. Burmeister challenged the Seaveys throughout the competition and even held the lead at many of the middle checkpoints.
Dallas Seavey won in 2012, 2014 and now 2015. He is rapidly becoming a dynasty in the Iditarod and will likely look to defend his crown again next year.
Read on for daily updates to re-live all the excitement.
Iditarod Race Schedule
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The 2015 Iditarod began on Saturday, March 7 in Anchorage and goes through 19 different checkpoints. It ends in Nome, which is 979 miles from the start. A full list of checkpoints and distances can be found on the official Iditarod website here.
Race Standings
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2015 Iditarod Standings Top 4 (Through March 18 at 14:09:18)
Full standings can be found here.
March 18 Update
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The Seavey father-son duo did it, touching down in Nome, Alaska, on Wednesday and finishing ahead of the rest of the 2015 Iditarod field.
For the third time in four years, Dallas Seavey triumphed in the Iditarod, finishing ahead of his father, Mitch, with a total race time of eight days, 18 hours, 13 minutes and six seconds.
Aaron Burmeister and Jessie Royer came in at third and fourth place respectively.
After securing the top prize of $70,000, Seavey spoke about his victory and praised the team of dogs that guided the way on this year's new trail.
"I really do believe this is one of the best teams there's ever been," Seavey told reporters, via The Associated Press. "That may just be overly proud pet parent talking, but they did just win the Iditarod, so that's some credibility."
Seavey is still just 28 years old. Considering his father is still running in the Iditarod—and is a two-time winner to boot, per SportsCenter—it seems to be in his blood to bundle up for the race for years to come.
There is still plenty of time for Seavey to further bolster his already stupendous track record. Given how grueling a test of endurance and bitter cold the Iditarod is, perhaps Seavey's reign of dominance won't persist.
However, as long as Seavey is up for it, he appears fully capable of challenging Rick Swenson's all-time record of five Iditarod victories.
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March 17 Update
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Sometimes in sports the storylines just write themselves.
Dallas Seavey and Mitch Seavey are in first and second place heading into crunch time at the 2015 Iditarod. They also happen to be a father-son duo (Mitch is the father and Dallas is the son).
Dallas Seavey won the 2014 race and was the first musher to reach the White Mountain checkpoint. His father came in behind him, while Aaron Burmeister followed in third place. Burmeister has traded the lead with Dallas Seavey at a number of the recent checkpoints, so it comes as no surprise that he is still within striking distance.
It is worth noting that every musher has to take an eight-hour break at the White Mountain checkpoint before starting the final 77 miles to the finish line in Nome.
Matt Tunseth of Alaska Dispatch News discussed what it would mean if the father-son duo was to finish in first and second place in the race:
"And if they go 1-2 this year, a distinct possibility, it would be the first time a father and son have done that. It would also cement the Seavey name in Iditarod history as its own era.
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Fifty-five-year-old Mitch already has 11 top-10 finishes in his career, including race titles in 2004 and 2013, despite a slow start to Iditarod racing 20 years ago. Dallas has six top-10s to his name in just eight races, and the first two didn't really count. He ran Seavey family puppy teams in 2005 and 2007 to train young dogs for the trail.
There are only 77 miles between the Seaveys and a legacy-making moment in Iditarod history.
March 16 Update
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If you think head games and even trash talk is only reserved for sports like football and basketball, think again.
Aaron Burmeister and Dallas Seavey are in a heated battle, and it took another exciting turn Monday. Seavey had taken the lead by spending minimal time in the Unalakleet checkpoint while Burmeister rested, but Burmeister returned the favor in Shaktoolik.
In fact, Burmeister spent a whopping 27 minutes in the Shaktoolik checkpoint and then hit the trail again for Koyuk with the lead over Seavey.
Seavey commented on the move in an interview with Iditarod Insider, via the Alaska Dispatch News:
"I’m not too concerned.
Aaron’s been trying to do the whole mind-game thing and I think he takes that stuff really seriously. It’s funny because he takes it so seriously, and I could care less what he does. I just outran him by an hour and a half on a 35-mile run.
I don’t think that him leaving here 15 minutes ahead of me is not going to make a big difference. It’s not about tricks and gimmicks.
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That’s right, the mushers aren’t holding any punches back in their comments as the race hits the stretch run.
It turns out Seavey was right because he retook the lead as the first one to leave the checkpoint at Koyuk. Koyuk is only 123 miles from the finish line in Nome, so it was an important move from Seavey that helped him put Burmeister’s charge behind him.
Aliy Zirkle is in third place, Jessie Royer is in fourth and two-time champion Mitch Seavey is in fifth.
March 15 Update
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The Iditarod is a long, physically grueling event that doesn’t always have incredibly exciting individual moments. Rather, it is a testament to endurance and overall athletic ability than quick, memorable instances.
That wasn’t the case Sunday.
Aaron Burmeister reached Unalakleet first, followed by Aliy Zirkle. However, Dallas Seavey seized an opportunity when it presented itself. With Burmeister and Zirkle resting at the checkpoint, Seavey took advantage of the rest he got on the trail and blew through Unalakleet.
He spent a mere five minutes in the checkpoint and took the lead moving forward on the way out.
Interestingly, Burmeister commented on the race before Seavey made his bold move and called Seavey a contender, via Tulsi Patil of KTUU 2: “Dallas and Mitch and Aliy are definitely contenders. I think Jeff isn’t any more. Jeff’s team is having some issues today. We’ll see what happen. We’ll see if he can get them turned around.”
If four-time champion Jeff King is really having some issues, that is good news for the rest of the field. Someone with a track record like that is a threat throughout the entire race until he if officially eliminated.
Still, Seavey’s move stole the headlines Sunday, and Suzanna Caldwell of Alaska Dispatch News noted that Seavey doesn’t plan on stopping until he reaches Shaktoolik (which is 40 miles away).
March 14 Update
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Aaron Burmeister wasted little time in Nulato. In fact, he barely stopped at the checkpoint at all before seizing the lead and making a push to create some separation heading into the second half of the race.
KTUU 2 described just how close it was at Nulato between Burmeister and Aliy Zirkle:
“Zirkle was the first to make it to Nulato at around 1:48 p.m. where she stopped to rest her team. Burmeister swept into Nulato, almost two hours later and blazed onward after just five minutes at the checkpoint, taking the lead.”
Perhaps Burmeister was comfortable making such a move because he got some necessary rest at the Huslia checkpoint. He received some food, hot water and even the chance to sleep some there, as he said in comments, via Laura Collins of Knom.org: “This is the first sleep I’ve gotten the whole race. It’s been really, really wonderful to be here.”
Burmeister’s best finish at the Iditarod was in 2012 when he placed in fourth. If he continues to race like this, he may top that this year.
It is worth noting that four-time champion Jeff King and defending champ Dallas Seavey are both right near the top of the current standings update. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if either made a late push given recent history, which is something that Burmeister and the rest of the competitors likely have in mind.
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