Sunday morning Iditarod musher Samantha LaLonde crossed under the burled arch, earning her spot as the 15th fastest to make the journey from Fairbanks to Nome. LaLonde was the first rookie to complete the journey and with it, earned the Rookie of the Year designation.
Family and friends packed the chute as her nine dogs came to a halt under the arch. LaLonde paced up and down the line while petting each dog and handing out treats.
The soft-spoken musher, who arrived just after 2:20 a.m., kept her responses to a post-finish interview brief.
“It's kind of wild, don’t really believe it, but we're very excited,” LaLonde said.
In preparation for her Iditarod debut, LaLonde trained with six-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey's kennel in Talkeetna, Alaska. Seavey could be seen tending to the dogs moments after LaLonde’s arrival.
LaLonde traded places with fellow rookie Emily Ford several times during the race but began building a lead after the Kaltag 2 checkpoint. By the time LaLonde reached Nome, she was 24 miles ahead of Ford.
A lack of snow forced Iditarod organizers to create a new route that extended the race to a record 1,128 miles, straining teams across the pack and adding several days to typical race times. On top of that, LaLonde suffered an apparent sprained ankle while leaving the Nulato checkpoint.
“I have a pretty powerful team and I was parked right against a berm with big ol’ ice chunks, hit that, stepped wrong, and thought I broke my ankle but thankfully I didn’t,” LaLonde recalled.
LaLonde completed the 1,128-mile course in 12 days, 14 hours, 20 minutes, and 56 seconds.
