Defending Iditarod champion Holmes holds lead as race reaches coast at Unalakleet

Iditarod mushes onto sea ice and final stretches with defending champ Holmes still in front

Defending champion Jessie Holmes was first to the Unalakleet checkpoint on March 15, 2026. Only five other mushers have repeated as champs in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and the last was a decade ago. (Gabby Hiestand Selgado | KYUK) Frontrunning teams in the 2026 Iditarod raced across the sea ice of Norton Sound early Monday, as defending champion Jessie Holmes held onto a solid lead and the hopes of joining a handful of mushers with conse…

Defending Iditarod champion Holmes holds lead as race reaches coast at Unalakleet

From here, the race heads onto frozen sections of Norton Sound, where windstorms have been known to derail championship aspirations.

Defending Iditarod champ Holmes holds lead as race reaches coast at Unalakleet

UNALAKLEET – A blazing orange sun hung over Jessie Holmes’ shoulder as the defending Iditarod champion and his lead dogs Polar and Zeus navigated the wide valley of the Unalakleet River early Sunday morning. Holmes and a team of 13 perky huskies pulled into this Norton Sound checkpoint at 9:27 a.m. Sunday with roughly another quarter of the 1,000-mile trail to Nome still to come. Holmes’ closest competitor, friend and frequent top-10 finisher Pa…