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Norway's Sorlie wins Iditarod

Norway's Robert Sorlie sits with his lead dogs Socks, left, and Blue, after he crossed the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska on Wednesday. PHOTO: AP

Norway's Robert Sorlie won the Iditarod on Wednesday, overcoming insomnia and a dwindling dog team for his second victory in only three tries.

Sorlie, a 47-year-old firefighter, crossed under the arch that serves as the finish line at 8:39am, winning the 1,770km race across Alaska in nine days, 18 hours, 39 minutes and 31 seconds.

"It feels good," Sorlie said. "I am ready for breakfast."

Sorlie finished the race with eight dogs -- half the number he started the race with, but the same number that took him to victory two years ago.

Sorlie is a three-time champion of Norway's premier long-distance sled dog race, the 965km Finnmarkslopet.

This year's run was only the third time Sorlie had made the trip from Anchorage to Nome, a town of 3,500 at the edge of the frozen Bering Sea. In his first showing, in 2002, he finished ninth, setting a rookie record. He won the race in 2003.

This time, Sorlie grabbed the lead early. The owner of a small kennel, he fended off a strong field that included seasoned veterans and five other Iditarod champions.

"I think this win is better than the 2003," he said. "This year, the dogs are better."

Sorlie is the second Iditarod winner born outside the US and the second person who didn't make their home in Alaska to win. Doug Swingley of the US won four times and Martin Buser, a Swiss native who has lived in Alaska more than two decades, became a US citizen after winning his fourth Iditarod in 2002.

For winning the 33rd Iditarod, Sorlie will receive US$72,066.67 and a new pickup truck. Seventy-nine mushers started this year's race, which has a total purse of US$750,000. As of Wednesday, 66 mushers were still in the running.

Ed Iten, racing in his seventh Iditarod, finished second about 35 minutes behind Sorlie. His previous best finish was fifth last year.

This year's race was marked by unseasonably warm weather on much of the route, with wet, slushy snow and temperatures that can be uncomfortable for the dogs, which generally run best when it's minus 28?C to minus 6?C. A lack of a solid snow base also forced race officials to move the March 6 start from Wasilla to Willow.

Defending champion Mitch Seavey was racing in third place, followed by Ramy Brooks, who was runner-up in 2002 and 2003.

Rookie Bjornar Andersen of Norway, Sorlie's nephew, was running in fifth place.

Thirteen mushers dropped out during the race. Legally blind rookie Rachael Scdoris of the US was at the back of the pack, accompanied by Paul Ellering, a former professional wrestler and former Iditarod competitor who is serving as Scdoris' "visual interpreter."
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