Montana woman finishes amongst top mushers
“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 3/23/20
On March 20, three Iditarod mushers activated their SOS beacons on the last leg of the epic 1,000-mile dog sled race across Alaska’s wintertime wilderness. Beginning officially in 1973, the race is famously challenging and this year was no different—the three men that initiated the recent rescue joined 19 other competitors that had bowed out of the race, for a total of 22. The figure is just short of a 1984 record of 24 racers scratched from competition. The race began on March 8, and Thomas Waerner of Norway finished in first place on March 18, pocketing $50,000 and a brand new truck prize. Jessie Royer, who hails from Ennis in the Madison Valley, tied her career-best third place from last year’s race, finishing just seven hours behind Waerner, crossing the finish line on the streets of downtown Nome, Alaska, at 7:47 a.m. in a time of nine days, 17 hours, 47 minutes and 16 seconds, reports KPAX. The sporting event was one of but a handful in the U.S. not canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
