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Hi, ADN Iditarod fans,

The first 20 mushers have completed this year's Iditarod, crossing under the burled arch in Nome in the days since Jessie Holmes claimed his second straight first-place title. 

And he wasn't the only Jessie/Jesse to earn a special Iditarod award. Jesse Terry, a musher from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, arrived in Nome during the early morning hours today in 14th place to become this year's Rookie of the Year. 

Sioux Lookout, Ontario, musher Jesse Terry reached Nome early Thursday, March 19 to win Iditarod’s Rookie of the Year title. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Iditarod Rookie of the Year Jesse Terry poses at the Iditarod finish line with his wife, Mary England, and lead dogs, Moonwatcher and Jitterbug, after crossing the finish line in Nome early Thursday. (Marc Lester / ADN)

At the race's ceremonial start in Anchorage, Terry had said finishing the Iditarod was his chief goal, but that being the top rookie would be a nice feather in his cap.

“Most rookies, you get asked all the time by the fans, ‘Are you going to win it?’” Terry said at the time. “That’s pretty far-fetched for a rookie. I definitely just want to finish it for sure — finish it with a happy, healthy dog team. And if that happens to be Rookie of the Year, that’d be great."

As the thousand-mile race stretched into its 10th day, several notable names were among the mushers crossing the finish line. 

[In pictures: 2026 Iditarod mushers reach Nome]

Wade Marrs mushes across the final miles of the Iditarod Trail. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Paige Drobny kneels with her leaders, Pandora, top, and DJ Spinderella. Her husband Cody Strathe is at right. (Marc Lester / ADN)

A Wednesday afternoon wave was led by seventh-place finisher Riley Dyche. He was followed by Two Rivers musher Lauro Eklund, 2019 Iditarod champion Pete Kaiser of Bethel and Yukon Territory musher Michelle Phillips in the top 10.

Knik musher Ryan Redington was the last competitor to complete the race on Wednesday. The 2023 champ arrived at 9:02 p.m. in 13th place.

Ryan Redington mushes the final miles of the Iditarod outside of Nome. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Ryan Redington answers questions at the finish line March 18, 2026. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Rookie Sam Martin of Willow finished in 15th place, just a few hours after Terry.

Josi Shelley, the 2026 Yukon Quest Alaska champion, finished in 16th place, followed by Bailey Vitello, Gabe Dunham and Rohn Buser. Anchorage/Big Lake musher Chad Stoddard rounded out the top 20, finishing in 10 days, 20 hours, 42 minutes.

Though the race's top places have been decided, the Iditarod isn't over until the Red Lantern musher crosses the finish line. As of Thursday afternoon, there were still 10 teams making their way to Nome. 

There haven't been any additional scratches, with a total of four competitive mushers who had to cut their races short. 

You may see fewer emails from us as we start to wind down our coverage of this year's Iditarod, but there are a still a few updates yet to come. As always, thanks for reading!

Happy trails, 

Megan Pacer
mpacer@adn.com

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