Fort Nelson musher Blayne Streeper won his record-tying tenth Fur Rendezvous sled dog championship in Anchorage, Alaska, on Sunday.
Streeper finished the Open World Championship in a total time of four hours, 22 minutes, and 20 seconds over 78 miles, three days of the same 26-mile trail winding through Anchorage's forests, roads, and downtown.
With the win, Streeper is now tied with renowned champion musher George Attla with 10 career Rondy titles to his name.
“We all run dogs all over the world… and there’s no setting like this setting,” Streeper said after the race. “This is our Wrigley Field, our Fenway, our Indianapolis, our Belmont Stakes... This is what we love. All of us mushers love this and the health of these dogs need this."
Streeper led the first two days of the race heading in Sunday's final sprint, posting times of 1:29:53 and 1:27:30 on Friday and Saturday.
He finished the event 10 minutes ahead of second-place musher Greg Taylor of Fairbanks, Alaska (4:32.23), and close to 11 minutes ahead of Michael Tetzner of Germany (4:33.07), who finished third.
Born and raised around the Mile 304 area, the married father of two competed in his first Fur Rondy 22 years ago. Four years later, in 2004, he took his first title.
“We really look forward to coming back,” Streeper said Sunday. “There’s only one number that matters, and that’s number 11, and I’ll be back next year to win it.”
