JUNEAU, Alaska – Veteran dog sled racer and Coast Guard sponsored Iditarod musher, Ken Anderson, crossed the finish line in Nome fourth in this year’s 38th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race traveling 1,049 miles across Alaska.
Anderson, now a 10-time veteran of the race, started more than nine days ago in Willow with 16 dogs. Anderson finished the race with 10 dogs crossing the finish line at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday.
According to statements by Anderson’s wife on their website, Anderson experienced some setbacks during the race. While running across glare ice Anderson was blown sideways causing him to hit a stump that was sticking out of the ice. It catapulted him over the handlebars, ripped out both of the cross pieces and did major damage to the bed of the sled as well. He had no choice but to turn around and go back to the checkpoint where he spent some time on repairs.
Despite the setbacks, Anderson also flourished and jumped ahead in the standings by splitting the run from Old Woman Cabin to Koyuk into two, roughly equal runs, which meant bypassing both Unalakleet and Shaktoolik. This distance has traditionally taken three runs.
Anderson will be working with the Coast Guard and visiting schools across Alaska. Anderson will visit with the children speaking about his mushing and race experiences and the Coast Guard’s core values.
