Mitch Seavey leading Iditarod, about 200 mi. left


March 11, 2013 at 12:18p.m.

Mitch Seavey leading Iditarod, about 200 mi. left

SHAKTOOLIK, Alaska (AP) — Former champion Mitch Seavey is maintaining his lead in Alaska’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The 2004 champion left the checkpoint at Shaktoolik at 1:15 a.m. today after resting his team for nearly four hours.

However, Aaron Burmeister was not going to allow Seavey to get much of a lead. He followed Seavey out less than an hour later.

The finish in Nome now is just a little more than 200 miles away. From Shaktoolik, teams travel across the frozen sea ice and toward Koyuk. This section of trail can be dicey, especially if a blizzard kicks up. Coastal storms have ended more than one musher’s dream of arriving first to Nome.