Former champion reclaims lead in Iditarod
3/12/2013NOME, Alaska — A former champion has grabbed the lead back in the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in a furiously contested match between seasoned veterans.
Sled positioning trackers show 2004 Iditarod winner Mitch Seavey 6 miles ahead of four-time champion Jeff King late Monday afternoon as they headed to the checkpoint at Elim, 123 miles from the finish line in Nome.
Trackers show King at zero mph — indicating his team is resting — while Seavey is moving at almost 6 mph.
King snatched the lead earlier Monday from Seavey, leaving the Koyuk checkpoint first.
King left Koyuk just six minutes after arriving, then camped out for a while 8 miles from the checkpoint. His team began moving again late morning.