Norway’s Ulsom Wins Iditarod
![At Iditarod finish line, musher interacts with race officials and smiles for press photos.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-03-16-joar-ulsom-finish-lia-nydes-005-1200x800.jpg)
Last month marked another running of Alaska’s epic, 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 2018 brought a fresh face to the roster of race champions — and saw KNOM volunteer alumni on the trail, both as reporters and even as a competitor.
Ulsom Wins Iditarod 2018
![Close-up of musher Joar Leifseth Ulsom, wearing blue hat, sunglasses, black parka](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180311-Joar-Ulsom-at-the-Unalakleet-checkpoint-2-2-1200x800.jpg)
Joar Leifseth Ulsom is the champion of Iditarod 2018. The Norwegian musher claimed his first Iditarod win at 3:01am Wednesday, arriving under the Burled Arch with 8 dogs.
When Will They Arrive? Look for Iditarod’s Top 3 Between Midnight and Sunrise Wednesday
![Detail of the Iditarod finish line in Nome, called the Burled Arch. Text reads “End of Iditarod,” etched in wood.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2017-03-14-irod-nome-01-m-seavey-149-2432px-1200x800.jpg)
Barring any unexpected weather delays or other obstacles or upsets, look for Joar Leifseth Ulsom to win Iditarod 46 in Nome early Wednesday morning, likely around 1 or 2am.
Through Unalakleet, Petit, Seavey, and Ulsom Push Along the Coast
![Iditarod musher Nic Petit, wearing "Petit" hat, looks around at the Unalakleet checkpoint](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180311-Nic-Petit-at-the-checkpoint-in-Unalakleet-1200x890.jpg)
Nicolas Petit, Mitch Seavey, and Joar Ulsom passed through Unalakleet on Sunday afternoon. The three racers arrived in very different states, offering signs of what could be ahead in the last stretch toward Nome.
Petit Out Front: Iditarod Leaders Swap Positions as Race Pivots to the Yukon
![Landscape of the remote Iditarod checkpoint](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180308-The-austere-iditarod-checkpoint-with-just-two-major-shelter-structures-and-tents-or-converted-out-buildings-set-up-for-Iditarod-1200x720.jpg)
Joar Leifseth Ulsom was the first musher to reach the Iditarod checkpoint. But he wasn’t the first to leave.
Weather, Slow Trail Prompts Some Iditarod Mushers to “24” in McGrath
![Aerial landscape of the Nikolai checkpoint.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/20180306-Nikolai-and-checkpoint-from-the-air-1200x800.jpg)
With continued snowfall making the trail soft and slow, some Iditarod mushers elected to take their 24 hour layovers at McGrath in the hopes that the trail would improve during their mandatory day’s rest. The long rest can be an opportunity for teams to “regroup,” as Ryan Redington described.
Historic 2018 Kuskokwim 300 Complete; Kaiser Claims 4th Straight Win
![Musher in heavy parka with fur ruff hugs sled dogs under finish line of the Kuskokwim 300 in Bethel, Alaska.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Pete-Kaiser-at-2018-Kuskokwim-300-Finish-Line-Bethel-Alaska-Katie-Basile-KYUK-Radio-1200x801.jpg)
Kaiser has won his fourth straight K300 sled dog race, making him the only musher in the race’s history to do so. Kaiser arrived into Bethel yesterday morning, crossing the finish line around 9am. 18 mushers started the race in Bethel but six of them scratched before completing the two, 150-mile laps.