When the Seavey family of dog mushers take to Alaska's Iditarod dog trail this month, they'll be making history as three generations of Seaveys will be racing together: 74-year-old Dan, 52-year-old Mitch, and 24-year-old Dallas.
James and Rosanne Keller, representing J. J. Keller & Associates, have announced their sponsorship of the Seavey/J. J. Keller Iditarod Racing Team for the sixth consecutive year. They will be the exclusive sponsor for Dallas Seavey.
The Iditarod is a grueling 1,150-mi. long sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and their sled dogs travel over jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast while battling below-zero temperatures, high winds, and long hours of darkness and isolation.
The 2012 Iditarod began in Anchorage on March 3 and was to end 9 to 13 days later in Nome.
Mitch and Dallas have raced closely before, with Dallas placing 8th and Mitch placing 10th in the 2010 Iditarod.
The 2012 race will be Dallas' sixth run to the famed Burled Arch. In that time, he has racked up a number of Iditarod records:
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2005: Youngest musher to compete in the race — age 18
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2009: Youngest musher to finish the race in a top ten position — 6th place, age 22
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2010: Youngest musher to win the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award — age 23
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2010: Seavey family record finish — 9 days, 10 hours and 4 minutes
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2011: Youngest musher to finish the race in a top five position — 4th place, age 24
The 2012 race is the 19th Iditarod for Dallas' father, Mitch.
