NOME -- Her blistered, frostbitten fingertips covered in tape, the iron lady of Alaska sled dog racing collapsed into a snowbank early Thursday morning in Nome and let out a deep, satisfied sigh.
"It really feels good to get off my feet," said Willow's DeeDee Jonrowe, who finished 31st after nearly 11 days on the Iditarod trail.
With 30 Iditarod finishes behind her, perhaps the most beloved musher in the field had earned a break.
Clad in her omnipresent pink parka, Jonrowe took time in the predawn hours to discuss her sled dog racing legacy and reflect on her accomplishments during more than three decades of running Alaska huskies across the wild. Though she said she has no plans to retire, Jonrowe admitted this year's race was one of the toughest.
"This wasn't a bad race, just a hard race," she said.