Seavey family must be watched; Buser leads

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Don’t get Dallas and Mitch Seavey wrong. They love each other, even though they might not say it in so many words. But they’re also fierce competitors, more than happy to pass each other on the nearly 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to be the first to reach Nome.

The then-25-year-old Dallas became the race’s youngest winner in 2012, only to be replaced by his dad, Mitch, who at age 53 became the Iditarod’s oldest winner last year. While they play out their rivalry, they might need to look behind another shoulder as Dallas’ younger brother, Conway, establishes himself in the sport.

The Seaveys shy away from the term “mushing dynasty,” but Mitch Seavey, who also won in 2004, acknowledges, “we sure mush a lot.”

This year’s Iditarod started Sunday in Willow, and will finish sometime early next week in Nome, on Alaska’s western coast.

In the early going, four-time champion Martin Buser was the first to arrive at the Rainy Pass checkpoint Monday. The jockeying for the lead will remain fluid until mushers begin taking a mandatory 24 hour layover and two eight-hour rests.