Jessie Holmes, Former Reality TV Star, Wins 2026 Iditarod Dog Sled Race to Repeat as Champion

Former reality television star Jessie Holmes won the 2026 Iditarod to earn his second straight title.

Per the Associated Press, Holmes is the third competitor in the 54-year history of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to repeat as champion in back-to-back years. The former cast member on the National Geographic reality show Life Below Zero crossed the finish line late Tuesday night following the roughly 1,000-mile sled dog race in Alaska.

Holmes and his team of 12 dogs were met with cheers from the crowd as they reached the end of the race in the old Gold Rush town of Nome, a coastal community along the Bering Sea. After the victory, he credited his lead dogs, Polar and Zeus, for guiding the way.

"Zeus led every single run except one. I just wanted to let someone else have some fun. And Polar deserves it more than anybody," he said. "He leads by example."

After a ceremonial start was held in Anchorage, the 2026 Iditarod officially began on March 8 in Willow. Participants traversed over two mountain ranges, along the frozen Yukon River and across the Bering Sea ice.

Holmes first tried his hand at the Iditarod in 2018 and now has competed in the race nine times, earning seven top-10 finishes, including top-five finishes in each of the last five races. He reportedly earned around $80,000 for this year's win, up from the $57,000-plus he won last year.

A carpenter by trade, Holmes appeared for eight years on Life Below Zero, which documented the hardships of people living in rural Alaska. In addition to buying better dogs and equipment, he used the money he earned from the show to purchase raw land near Denali National Park and Preserve. He now occupies a homestead in the wilderness with no neighbors for nearly 30 miles.