Health Concerns Force Defending Champion to Leave Iditarod Race

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Brent Sass, the champion of the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, gave up on the current year’s race. He made this decision because of worries about his health. He stopped at a place called Eagle Island which is located 600 miles away from where the actual race ends (which is nearly 1,000 miles).

Sass, a racer on the Iditarod Trail, had to drop out because he wasn’t taking care of his teeth. This is called gum disease. A plane was sent to Eagle Island to bring Sass back home. His dad said he was sad but all 11 dogs in Sass’ team were healthy.

On Friday night, Sass had a massive lead over his competitor, Jessie Holmes of Brushkana. Saturday morning, Jessie was the first musher to leave Eagle Island checkpoint. He is 40 years old and originally from Alabama but now lives in Alaska as a carpenter. Jessie is also known for being on the National Geographic show “Life Below Zero” about people living in rural areas in Alaska.

On March 5th, 33 people and their sled dog teams began a race. The race was full of challenges, like travelling over two different mountain ranges, the Yukon River, and icy Bering Sea. Another difficulty they faced in the first week was that it was too hot outside.

We expect the winning team to cross the finish line and reach Nome’s Front Street either Tuesday or Wednesday.

On March 4, the 33 mushers raced in an 11-mile trip in Anchorage – the state’s biggest city. Before they began, they were greeted by fans and some lucky people got to ride on their sleds! This was actually the smallest ever number of mushers that have participated since the first race back in 1973 – which only had one less driver than this year. But, since then three people have quit from the race.