Defending Iditarod champion Holmes holds lead as race reaches coast at Unalakleet

Defending Iditarod champion Holmes holds lead as race reaches coast at Unalakleet

From here, the race heads onto frozen sections of Norton Sound, where windstorms have been known to derail championship aspirations.

Defending Iditarod champ Holmes holds lead as race reaches coast at Unalakleet

UNALAKLEET – A blazing orange sun hung over Jessie Holmes’ shoulder as the defending Iditarod champion and his lead dogs Polar and Zeus navigated the wide valley of the Unalakleet River early Sunday morning. Holmes and a team of 13 perky huskies pulled into this Norton Sound checkpoint at 9:27 a.m. Sunday with roughly another quarter of the 1,000-mile trail to Nome still to come. Holmes’ closest competitor, friend and frequent top-10 finisher Pa…