The 2025 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race came to a close Monday with news that the last musher on the trail, rookie Jenny Roddewig, had called it quits before reaching Nome.
Just 22 of the 33 mushers that entered the race reached the finish, a new low for the past decade of the long-distance sled dog race.
It was an unusual year across the board for the Iditarod - the official restart moved to Fairbanks for the fourth time ever. Mushers took on the longest course in race history and this year’s champion, Jessie Holmes, set the slowest course time for the winner in over two decades.
On top of that, mushers like Mille Porsild faced a sandstorm in the early part of the race.
“They said it was going to be boring, they said it was going to be easy. And they were really wrong, because it was none of those things," Porsild said at Sunday's Finisher's Banquet. "This is one of the experiences I've had that most made me appreciate the perseverance and strength of the dogs in front of us.”
Rookie musher Emily Ford made history as the second Black woman to complete the Iditarod. At the banquet she thanked the countless volunteers that made the race possible.
“I know you guys get as much sleep as the mushers do, which is zero, and so thank you for being there for us, greeting us and pretending that you're excited to see us, even though you I know you wish you were in bed or doing something else maybe with your eyes closed," Ford said while holding back laughter.
Despite the hardships, mushers said this year’s race came with moments of beauty too. Third place finisher Paige Drobny said a meteor perked her team up while taking a break along the Bering Sea.
“It was burning bright, huge, it was red, white and blue and green," Drobny recalled. "And all the dogs looked at it. I looked at it. And they all looked at me, and I looked at them, and I was like, ‘whoa’. They're like, ‘yeah, we all saw that, that was crazy’.”
Rookie Ebbe Pedersen claimed the Red Lantern award for being the last musher to reach Nome, arriving with his 12 dogs early Monday morning.
