Veteran musher Brent Sass of Eureka, Alaska, crosses the finish line of the 50th running of the Iditarod at 5:38 a.m. local time, claiming his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race championship in Nome, Alaska, U.S. March 15, 2022. Sass won his first championship in his seventh time competing. REUTERS/Diana Haecker/The Nome Nugget
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Musher Brent Sass won the arduous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska on Tuesday as his team of 11 dogs dashed off the Bering Sea ice through a crowd of fans in downtown Nome.
Sass mushed down Front Street and across the finish line just before 6 a.m.
“It’s awesome, it’s a dream come true,” Sass said with his beard and mustache partially encrusted in ice during the post-race interview before he was presented a prize-winning check of $50,000.
“When I started mushing, my goal was to win the Yukon Quest and win the Iditarod. Checked them both off the list now,” he said.
Sass said he was “super, super, super proud” of his dog team. “It’s all on them. They did an excellent job the whole race. I asked a lot of them, and they performed perfectly,” he said.
“Every one of these dogs I’ve raised since puppies, and we’ve been working towards this goal the whole time, and we’re here,” he said, his voice cracking. “It’s crazy.”
Fans lined the street welcoming the popular musher, who was escorted by police for the final few blocks to the famous burled arch that marked his victory.
It’s the first Iditarod win for Sass, a wilderness guide and kennel owner who was running in his seventh Iditarod. His previous best finish was third last year. Sass took command of this year’s race early on and never was challenged, but the final stretch of the race might have been the toughest, with extreme winds blowing on the Bering Sea ice leading into Nome.
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