Fishing

Redington prevails in close finish at Northern Lights sled dog race

Ryan Redington, grandson of Iditarod founder Joe Redington Sr., nipped fellow Iditarod veteran Rick Casillo at the Big Lake finish line Sunday to win the Northern Lights 300 sled dog race.

Sebastian Vergnaud was seven minutes back in third place. Defending champion Kristy Berington of Kasilof struggled and finished 16th.

Both Redington and Casillo are entered in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which begins March 5, and they were joined by several Iditarod veterans in this middle-distance race. Thirty-three teams started from Big Lake and raced to Yentna Station, Finger Lake and back. Redington said he was among the mushers using the race as a long training run as part of his buildup to the Iditarod.

No prize money is awarded in the Northern Lights race.

NORTHERN LIGHTS 300

Top 20 Finishers

1) Ryan Redington, 9:30 a.m.; 2) Rick Casillo, 9:30 a.m.; 3) Sebastian Vergnaud, 9:37 a.m.; 4) Justin Savidis, 11:40 a.m.; 5) Jodi Bailey, 12:05 p.m.; 6) Charley Bejna, 12:27 p.m.; 7) Joar Ulsom, 12:38 p.m.; 8) Marai Troyshenski, 12:40 p.m.; 9) Karin Hendrickson, 1:51 p.m.; 10) Sarah Stokey, 2:09 p.m.; 11) Jim Lanier, 2:44 p.m.; 12) Mille Porsild 3:11 p.m.; 13) Justin Stielstra, 3:39 p.m.; 14) Becca Moore, 3:50 p.m.; 15) Wyatt Suchecki, 4:06 p.m.; 16) Kristy Berington, 4:28 p.m.; 17) Andy Pohl, 4:45 p.m.; 18) Margaret Maixner, 5:56 p.m.; 19) Otto Balogh, 6:06 p.m.; 20) Roger Lee, 6:37 p.m.

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Rhodes captures Two Rivers race

Will Rhodes won the long event and Thomas Lesatz earned victory in the 100-mile race during the Two Rivers 200/100 sled dog races this weekend.

Rhodes and his 11-dog team won in 28 hours, 42 minutes, 57 seconds.

Matt Hall, who captured the Copper Basin 300 earlier this month, was about 4 minutes back.

Aliy Zirkle, a three-time Iditarod runner-up, guided her 10-dog team to third place in 29:08:53.

Among the finishers was five-time Iditarod champion Rick Swenson of Two Rivers, who came in 11th. The winningest Iditarod racer in history has not entered the 1,000-mile race to Nome since 2012, when he finished 30th.

The Two Rivers race started at the Chatanika Lodge at noon Friday with checkpoints at the Two Rivers Lodge, the Pleasant Valley Store at 23 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road and the Angel Creek Lodge before finishing at the store.

All 10 mushers in the Two Rivers 100 completed the race. Lesatz and his 12-dog team led the group in 12:32 while Judy Currier was runner-up in 12:48.

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