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Russian Fedor Konyukhov rode into Nome behind a team of 13 dogs Monday to bring to an end the 2000 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. For his last-place finish, the 48-year-old adventurer collected the traditional red lantern. Konyukhov had been vying with Dave Tresino of Talkeetna for that honor but cut a deal with his American trail mate before reaching Nome. In exchange for coming in second to last, about 15 minutes in front of Konyukhov, Tresino is to get a Konyukhov painting. A Moscow resident, Konyukhov splits his time between his art and roaming the globe in search of adventure. Interviewed by KNOM radio at the finish line, Konyukhov said through a translator that "he had dreamed about Iditarod for 17 years." By the Russian's standards, his 15-day rookie Iditarod was a quick and relatively easy challenge. Recognized as an Honorary Master of Sport - a sort of who's who in Russian sporting circles - Konyukhov has climbed the tallest peaks on all seven continents, sailed solo around the globe and hiked to both of the planet's poles. In 1990, he became only the third person to ski to the North Pole. Five years later, he mimicked that feat at the South Pole. He travels solely by what he calls "environmentally-friendly modes of transport" - sail, bike, skis, ballons and now dog sled. He told KNOM, through the translator, that the greatest challenge of his Iditarod came in caring for his "16 little friends." Konyukhov "was very worried and anxious" about the dogs, the translator said. "When he sent three dogs back to Anchorage, ... he was really sorry about it." While those tired animals were resting back in Alaska's largest city, Konyukhov and his 13 other teammates pushed on. He finished with one of the larger Iditarod teams to reach Nome. About 100 people gathered on Front Street to welcome him, despite winds of 20-30 mph, the Iditarod's Greg Bill said by telephone from Nome. "It was just a little breezy," noted Bill, who was on the street. "He crossed the finish line holding the red lantern. There was a good, warm welcome." Konyukhov said through the translator that he wanted the lantern to put in his Moscow art studio as a reminder of this trip. The arrival of Konyukhov and Tresino in Nome came only a day after the Iditarod finishers banquet. "They had some wind out there last night," Bill said. "There's always a few teams that get hammered by wind, ... but it wasn't extreme. We almost had them in in time for the first banquet." That has happened only once before in Iditarod history. Race rules set the banquet for the first Sunday after the arrival of the first musher in Nome. Montanan Doug Swingley, the victor, got to Nome on Tuesday morning. The first champion to successfully defend the crown since Susan Butcher in 1988, Swingley picked up a check for $60,000 and the keys to a new pickup at the banquet Sunday night. The Iditarod victory was his third. He first won in 1995 and has never finished lower than ninth. Joining Swingley at the celebratory banquet in the Nome recreation center were more than 60 of the 81 mushers who started this year's race, and hundreds of interested fans from Nome and throughout the country. The latter got to listen to mushers recount their stories of adventure on the 1,100-mile wilderness trail and celebrate award winners, who included: Most Inspirational Emmitt Peters of Ruby. Credited with turning the Iditarod into a truly competitive event with his breakthrough victory in 1975, the Yukon Fox returned from an eight-year hiatus to finish more than two days faster than he did during his championship year. The 12-day, 2-hour finish was good for only 40th place, but it won Peters the vote as Most Inspirational Musher. Sportsmanship Ramy Brooks of Healy. The fourth-place finisher was recognized for coming to the aid of John Barron of Willow. Barron suffered a head-on collision with a tree that left his sled smashed and the musher dazed. Brooks helped Barron get to the next checkpoint safely and for that won the Sportsmanship Award. Most Improved Brooks, last year's Yukon Quest champion, also won the Most Improved Musher award; in his last Iditarod, Brooks finished 18th. Humanitarian Bruce Lee of Denali Park. The 1988 winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race returned to the Iditarod this year after a four-year absence to post his third top-20 finish and the first since 1993 and win the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award. Along the way, he particularly impressed Iditarod veterinarians - but didn't compromise his speed. Lee also took the award for the fastest time from Safety to Nome. Stethoscope A group of veterinarians led by Anchorage's Bob Sept, a member of the Iditarod Hall of Fame, combined to win the Golden Stethoscope Award. The six teamed up at the deserted Rohn checkpoint to save the life of Troy, a dog in the team of five-time Iditarod champ Rick Swenson. The dog was injured after after slamming headfirst into a tree on the trail between Rainy Pass and Rohn. Veterinarians worked on the dog on the only table in the one-room log cabin in Rohn. They kept it alive until morning, when Sept could fly with it on airlift by small plane to Anchorage. This and that Race officials said that Iditarod 2000 went well even though it boasted the largest field in Iditarod history. That caused some logistical problems, but the competition was still wrapped up in less than 15 days. That's about five days less than it took Dick Wilmarth, the winner of the first Iditarod, to reach Nome. It took the last-place musher more than 32 days to reach Nome in the inaugural race in 1973, and only about 60 percent of the starters finished. Eighty-four percent of the teams that started this year's race finished. Only one dog, in the team of Michigan musher Al Hardman, died - the fewest of any Iditarod. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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