After a weekend full of racing, Bridgett Watkins emerged as the winner of the 2017 Nome-Council 200.
The annual sled dog race spans about 160 miles, a round trip from Nome to Council and back. Watkins was joined at the start line on Saturday morning by mushers Stephanie Johnson and Janet Balice. Johnson finished in second place; Balice scratched early in the race.
Racing dogs from Aliy Zirkle and Allan Moore’s kennel, Watkins finished the race in 31 hours, 3 minutes, and 51 seconds. “I just had to sit back and watch them,” she said. “I was the weak link, for sure. They were highly entertaining. All their personalities… pretty silly, some of ‘em.”
Watkins also won the halfway award. As the first musher to get to Council, she was awarded a golden-casted pendant.
For her first place finish, race rules stipulate Watkins will win a minimum of $1,000.
The first-place finisher says she does not plan on expanding her racing career anytime soon.
