King Strikes Gold In Iditarod

Stiff ocean breezes and $2,500 in gold nuggets awaited two-time Iditarod champ Jeff King on Sunday as top drivers in the 1,100-mile race to Nome reach the Bering Sea coast.

“Welcome to Unalakleet,” a villager called out from a pre-dawn crowd that greeted King around 4 a.m.

King completed the 90-mile run from Kaltag to Unalakleet in 10 hours, arriving in this Eskimo village where the Iditarod trail moves from interior Alaska to the home stretch up the Norton Sound.

The gold nuggets are offered by an Anchorage bank for the first racer to reach the coast.

King accepted the gold, which traditionally is poured out into a bowl. But winds and darkness this year prevented that, so that a stray nugget wouldn’t be lost in the snow.

There are less than 230 miles left in the race. A top prize of $51,000 and a new pickup truck awaits the first-place musher. Based on previous races, leaders could start arriving as soon as Tuesday.