Mitch Seavey Interviewed at the Burled Arch

Mitch Seavey claimed his seventeenth top-ten finish on Front Street late Wednesday evening.  Mitch’s leaders were a little reluctant to cross under the Burled Arch.  Maybe they didn’t want the race to end or maybe they were camera shy.  Mitch jogged up to guide his leaders under the arch to officially finish with a run of 10 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes.  Seavey finished with 7 dogs in harness.  Mitch praised his team saying they were a new team and had matured a great deal during the race.  He considers their racing future to be very bright.

Seavey, who was greeted in the chute by his wife, Janine, and son, Conway, says running the Iditarod is a family tradition.  Mitch’s dad, Dan, ran the inaugural Iditarod in 1973.  Mitch and Janine have four sons.  Three of their boys have run both the Jr. Iditarod and the Iditarod.  The youngest, Conway hasn’t run the Iditarod but won the Jr. Iditarod in 2012 and 2014.

When his father ran the Iditarod back in 1973, Mitch decided that was something he’d like to do.  In 1982, he completed his rookie run to Nome to earn the coveted Iditarod finisher’s belt buckle.  Now as a three time Iditarod champion, Seavey owns several records. He’s the oldest winner of the race and he has the fastest run time.  At the age of 57, Seavey, behind leaders Pilot and Crisp covered the miles from Fairbanks to Nome in 8 days, three hours and 40 minutes.

With so many finishes in the top ten, it’s not surprising to see so many awards for being first to McGrath, Halfway, Kaltag and Gold Coast. Seavey can almost claim to have 14 consecutive top ten finishes be it not for a hand injury suffered in 2011 which required medical attention.  Mitch has certainly compiled and admirable Iditarod career.