The Great Race has finished and Norwegian Robert Sorlie and his wonderful dogs have won. From Reuters and the AP:
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Hoisting a Norwegian flag handed to him near the finish line, Robert Sorlie captured his second victory in three years in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race."It feels good to be here. I'm ready for breakfast," said Sorlie, a firefighter from Hurdal, Norway, after driving his dog team to Nome's Front Street, the end of the 1,100-mile sled dog race.
Sorlie, 47, completed the route in nine days, 18 hours and 39:31 minutes, 34 minutes ahead of runner-up Ed Iten of Kotzebue, Alaska.
For his victory, Sorlie was awarded a cash prize of more than $72,000 and a new truck.
The winner, who has limited English, struggled a little when asked if he ever doubted he would win. "What is doubt?" he said.
Half of Sorlie's team didn't make it across the finish line, because they were injured, sick or exhausted. Four dogs died in the Iditarod this year.
The dogs generally suffer from penile frostbite, bleeding ulcers, paralysis, viral diseases and lung damage.
If the dogs could talk, they'd tell you the Iditarod is dog torture.
For more information about the cruelties: http://wwww.helpsleddogs.org .
Posted by: Sled Dog Action Coalition at March 20, 2005 05:03 PM