Jessie Holmes is your 2025 Iditarod Champion

Jessie Holmes at the ReStart of Iditarod 53.
March 3, 2025. Fairbanks, Alaska.

It's a long way from Alabama - the Alaskan Wilderness - but somehow Jessie Holmes was drawn to the vast and sometimes lonely space. He embraced the lifestyle of living "off grid" away from what many consider modern civilization. He created a life he found worth living. He got dogs and used them to travel where vehicles could not go.

Those dogs became more than a team and a mode of transportation. They became a part of him.

When he first came to the Iditarod in 2018, many considered him in it for the glory. It was a publicity stunt. After all, he was starring in one of those "reality shows" based in Alaska that most Alaskans make fun of while secretly binge watching with the rest of the world. He won Rookie of the Year and immediately set his sights on winning the whole thing. He bragged about his dogs, his team, his ability. Some around him rolled his eyes still considering him "the reality star." If the critisisim got to him he never let it show.

Two years ago fans wondered if Jessie would even make it to the Iditarod. After having a house collapse on top of him while he was in Golovin helping clean up after the devastation from Typhoon Merbok many wondered if his body could heal up enough to be active. He had been lucky to be alive, and yet that winter he was on the back of his sled and competiting with the top teams. He came in 5th in 2023.

Last year Jessie felt it was his time. He had a strong team. He had fast times. But like most mushers, he left that confidence in himself and his dogs and he felt he needed to push. He needed to keep a certain team behind him. And so he pushed his team early. And it caught up to him. By the coast, Holmes' team was still hardy but their speed wasn't there. He watched as that team he was trying to keep behind him went ahead of him. Then a second team passed him by. He was third, and he vowed to learn from it.

And learn he has. The musher made his plan and stuck with it. Even with the late course change. He had campaigned for a course change after seeing trail conditions from the Iron Dog. The Fairbanks route was the safer route. It was going to be, by some, to be the easier route. It didn't matter it would be longer, there'd be snow not dirt.

Then the Tanana decided to throw silt in the teams' faces. The trail wasn't as solid a trail as they thought. It was sugar snow. It was punchy. It. Was. Slow. The trail that was going to be 600 miles of "boring" river run proved to be anything but boring. It frustrated many of the top teams. But Jessie kept with it. Rarely did you hear a complaint in his interviews. It was just shrug it off and everyone has to run the same trail. 

He didn't fight to lead the whole way. He kept his cool. He kept to his schedule. Paige Drobny led into the 24. Matt Hall led to Kaltag. Jessie Holmes then made his move. He hit the loop and he kept Hall and Drobny behind him. Every run he'd gain a little more. The musher had banked so much rest by the halfway point it was clear that he was going to have to make a couple of mistakes before anyone could challenge him.

By the coast, it was all but over. He had over an hour lead and he was gaining more. No matter what Hall or Drobny pulled out of their hat, it didn't matter. Then the big runs to try and catch him happened and that gave the musher a three hour cushion. Only mother nature could stop him, and she was all too kind. He couldn't have asked for better weather to run that final 77 miles to Nome. Under a full moon, Jessie ran that "magic run" he's been working towards for seven years.

Seven years. It only took him seven years to get here. Seven years for "the reality star" to prove his team belongs here (we can argue he proved it before now).

As the team ran under the burled arch at 2:56am he fist pumped his way to victory. Nicole the checker went through the checklist, she announced him the Iditarod champion. She announced his win in ten days and change. "Those were ten quality days," the musher stated, "I got my monies worth." 

Holmes was all smiles, handshaking everyone in the crowd. He fed his team giant steaks cut specifically for them by his friend and former employer, a butcher in Fairbanks. When asked for his thoughts "I damn sure ain't tired," he quipped. Everyone watching could see the electric energy bursting from the musher who for over 10 days ran behind his team, cared for his team, asked so much of his team. 

He chose his leaders, littermates, Polar and Hercules for the yellow roses, but he could have taken all of them up there with him if they would let him. Looking over his ten teammates he mused, "It's not about this moment. It's about all those moments on the trail."

Thirty-three teams started the race. At the time of Jessie's finish, twenty-three teams were on the trail. The first one signing off the trail and collecting his spot in Iditarod history at 2:55:41am. It was what is considered the longest Iditarod race in history milewise and he did it in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds.

Teenager Robinson repeats as Knik 200 champion

In the wee morning hours Sunday Emily Robinson solidified her place in mushing lore as she caught and passed Iditarod Champion Ryan Redington and never looked back. The seventeen year old mushing phenom was second out after the mandatory six hour rest, but had a mere 57 second deficit to make up on Redington. 

A quick look at the tracker history shows that Emily overtook Ryan early Sunday morning, less than an hour after the top two teams left the checkpoint. The teenager and her team held around a two mile lead for most of the morning before kicking it into high gear and ended up with about a four mile lead at the end. 

Emily had just under a twenty minute lead over Ryan who ended up having about twelve minutes over third place Hunter Keefe. Keefe left the checkpoint nine minutes after Redington, so Ryan did gain a couple minutes on the third place finisher. Riley Dyche made up a lot of time on Keefe however which made the third place battle the one that was most exciting. Dyche left ten minutes after Keefe and came in around a minute behind Keefe at the finish. 

The top five was cemented about twenty-one minutes after fourth place when Robert Redington came into finish. Five-ish minutes behind him was Wally Robinson, father to the Knik 200 champ. The dad who joked he wouldn't let his daughter pass him without a bit of a shoving match (dads and their jokes) came very close to the top five.

At this time it looks like six or seven teams are still on the trail. Rohn Buser's tracker died early this morning so he still shows as camping on the trail, but Buser came into the finish in eighth place. It isn't a sled dog race without some tracker shenanigans. Buser's kennel posted Saturday that Rohn was planning on using the Knik 200 as a training run for next weekend's Copper Basin 300.

The Red Lantern seems to be camped on the trail at this point and could either be Chloe Beatty or Leni Stolz. Both teams are camped about halfway in the loop, a strategy they both used on Saturday. Look for a mid-afternoon finish for the final teams to come in.

Emily Robinson's next race will be the Kuskokwim 300 which takes off on January 24, 2025. This will be the first Kusko for the teen.

Thoughts on the outcome of the race? Were you surprised? Excited? Hoping for a different winner? Comment below with your thoughts.

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