ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Jessie Holmes, a former reality television star, won the longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday, celebrating with fist pumps to a cheering crowd and posing for photos with his two floral wreath-adorned head teammates, Hercules and Polar.
Holmes was first to the finish line in the Gold Rush town of Nome, on the Bering Sea coast. The race began March 3 in Fairbanks after a lack of snow forced changes to the route and starting point.
That made the normally 1,000-mile race a staggering 1,128 miles across the Alaska wilderness. Holmes finished in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.
“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s a magical feeling,” Holmes said shortly after crossing the finish line. “It’s not about this moment now. It’s about all those moments along the trail.”…