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Hi, ADN Iditarod fans,

We have a winner! After five top-10 finishes, musher Jessie Holmes crossed under the burled arch in Nome early this morning to claim his first Iditarod victory.

Holmes, who came to Alaska from Alabama 20 years ago, finished the race in a preliminary time of 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds. 

Jessie Holmes celebrates after winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Friday morning in Nome. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Holmes has been racing in the Iditarod since his rookie run in 2018, when he finished in 7th place as the rookie of the year.

He arrived around 2:55 a.m. with 10 dogs on the line to shouts and applause from a crowd along Front Street in subzero cold. He walked up and down the race chute giving high-fives and hugs to cheering spectators, wandering past the metal barricades to greet fans and take a few selfies.

“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s a magical feeling. It’s not about this moment now, it’s about all the moments along the trail,” Holmes said after reaching the finish line.

Jessie Holmes hugs his wheel dogs after winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Friday morning in Nome. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Jessie Holmes mushes down Front Street on his way to winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Friday morning in Nome. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

At 1,128 miles, this year’s course is the longest in the race’s 53-year history. Holmes gave his dogs ample rest early on, but put off taking the mandatory 24- and 8-hour stops until long after most of his closest competitors had, which he credited with helping keep up the dogs’ speeds later in this longer-than-normal race.

Two Rivers musher Matt Hall, whom Holmes has known for years going back to their days in remote parts of the Interior, arrived in Nome just before 6 a.m. Friday in second place. 

“I was done chasing. Couldn’t catch him,” Hall told Iditarod Insider.

Cantwell musher Paige Drobny arrived at the finish line in third place at 8:38 a.m.

Paige Drobny mushes down Front Street to finish the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday in Nome. Drobny finished in third place. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Matt Hall hugs his leaders Qivik, left, and Dyea after he finished in second place in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Friday morning in Nome. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Paige Drobny pets her lead dogs after she finished the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday in Nome. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Drobny’s third-place finish is the best of her career, joining five other women who have earned top-three finishes in the race. It was also her fourth top-10 finish in her 10 Iditarod runs.

"It doesn’t feel like 10 times," she told Iditarod Insider. "It feels like I just started."

The current fourth-place competitor, Yukon Territory musher Michelle Phillips, is expected to arrive in Nome early Friday evening.

Paige Drobny’s lead dogs wear leis after they finished the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday in Nome. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

In Nome, Holmes described his journey as “an amazing 10 days.”

“I soaked in every part of it, the lows, the highs, the in-betweens. I’m really proud of these dogs,” he said. “I love them, and they did it — they deserve all the credit.”

Be sure to check back for more updates and photos from Nome at ADN.com/iditarod, and as always, thank you for reading!

Happy trails, 

Megan Pacer
mpacer@adn.com

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