Jessie Holmes wins 2025 Iditarod
Jessie Holmes’ dream of winning the Iditarod came true when he pulled under the burled arch in Nome with 10 dogs in harness, on Friday morning at 2:55 a.m.
Holmes finished the longest Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race of 1,128 miles in a time of 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.
Smiling from ear to ear, pumping his arms in the air, he celebrated his win as a crowd closed in on the chute to usher him to the finish line. After setting the snow hook under the burled arch, he went to his dogs, thanked each one of them and posed with is lead dogs Hercules and Polar before handing out steaks.
Holmes, visibly emotional, told interviewers at the finish line: “This is unreal.”
“It’s been an amazing 10 days,” he said. “I soaked in every part of it, the lows the highs, the in-betweens. I’m really proud of these dogs, I love them and they did it, they deserve all the credit.”
After being officially checked in, Holmes took a dive into fans who came out at this late hour to greet the new champion of the 53rd running of the Iditarod. He visited the enthusiastic crowd on both sides of the chute, jumped over the barricades, shook hands, high-fived and hugged fans.
Holmes and his lead dogs Polar and Hercules took their seat at the winner’s podium for the obligatory winner photo. After taking care of his dog team, Holmes held a question and answer session with media and fans at the adjacent Mini Convention, talking about his experience on the trail, amazing sunsets and sunrises and the ups and downs of dog mushing a over 1,000-mile long race.
Holmes, 43, originally of Alabama, but now calling Brushkana, Alaska home, has been racing the Iditarod since 2018, when he took Rookie of the Year honors. Now being a full time dog musher, Holmes is known to be a TV personality and star in the documentary television show “Life below Zero.”