Iditarod in Alaska

Dog sled race won for the sixth time

The US American Dallas Seavey won the Iditarod with his dogs for the sixth time.(Bild: AP)

The US American Dallas Seavey has won the world's toughest dog sled race for the sixth time. He crossed the finish line in Nome (Alaska) on Tuesday (local time) with ten dogs in front of his sled after around 1600 kilometers. 

It took the 37-year-old nine days, two hours, 16 minutes and eight seconds, according to the organizers. With his sixth victory, Seavey is the most successful driver of a dog team in the history of the competition. He was the youngest driver to win in 2012 at the age of 25. This year's race was the 52nd in the US state of Alaska.

Dallas Seavey with his dogs(Bild: AP)

Crossing the finish line(Bild: AP)

Spectators(Bild: AP)

Three dogs perished
In total, more than 30 men and women competed with their dogs on March 3 in Willow. Last Tuesday, seven teams had already given up on the course and three dogs had died (see video above). The Iditarod, which is named after a river and now abandoned village, often leads through the Alaskan wilderness in snowstorms and extreme sub-zero temperatures. It commemorates a dog sled expedition in 1925 that brought vaccine against a diphtheria outbreak to Nome.

Protests from animal rights activists
Goods and mail were still transported this way in the 20th century. In recent years, protests against the race by animal rights activists have increased. They accuse the event team of promoting cruelty to animals. "Iditarod is the shame of Alaska. How many more dogs have to die before this comes to an end?" asked the animal rights organization PETA in a press release.