Jessie Holmes lights up Iditarod with blazing speed and electrifying spirit!
Mar. 17—Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race leader Jessie Holmes departed the White Mountain checkpoint after completing his mandatory eight-hour rest, putting him on course to arrive first to Nome on Tuesday evening. Holmes left the small community on the Fish River, 77 miles from the burled arch, at 11:26 a.
m. , a few minutes later than required but apparently in no great rush given his position. He reached the checkpoint at 3:10 a.
m. Tuesday, roughly four hours ahead of his next closest competitor. "I know that I've done all the right moves, kinda known that for a couple runs," Holmes said to Iditarod Insider during his stop in White Mountain.
Mushers generally take around 10 hours to make the run from White Mountain to Nome, which would put Holmes on Front Street sometime around 9:30 p. m. Tuesday, depending on his dogs' speed, weather and trail conditions.
The front of this year's race pack has shuffled around since mushers began moving north along the Norton Sound coast on Sunday. Several top teams have leapfrogged one another, and the competition for third, fourth and fifth place could be a scramble all the way to the finish line. Seward's Travis Beals reached White Mountain after Holmes, at 7:07 a.