Fishing

Kaiser, Salzburn squeeze out narrow victory in Denali Doubles

A sled dog race noted for being quirky didn't lack drama Saturday when Pete Kaiser and Lucas Salzburn eked out victory by less than a minute in the 226-mile Denali Doubles Sled Dog Race that started and finished in Cantwell.

Kaiser of Bethel, who notched his second consecutive Kuskokwim 300 victory three weeks ago, crossed the finish line on the Denali Highway with Salzburn at 7:55 a.m. behind the 20 dogs that started.

They were barely fast enough to edge Nicholas Petit, an Iditarod veteran who teamed with girlfriend Emily Maxwell to record the same official time.

The winners earned $5,000, while the runners-up took home $2,000.

Sebastian Vergnaud and Jakob Witcop were more than an hour back, finishing at 9:09 a.m. to lock up third place. Dean Osmar, the 1984 Iditarod champion, and wife My Dzung Osmar were 24 minutes back in fourth place, while the combination of two-time Iditarod runner-up Paul Gebhardt and Nichole Faille placed fifth by finishing at 9:37 a.m.

The Denali Doubles pairs one veteran racer with a novice, typically on two sleds pulled by up to 20 dogs. Mushers must finish with the same dogs they start with, even if they must carry one or more in the sled.

Denali Doubles Sled Dog Race

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Starting and ending in Cantwell

1) Pete Kaiser and Lucas Salzburn, 20 dogs, 7:55 a.m.; 2) Nicholas Petit and Emily Maxwell, 20 dogs, 7:55 a.m.; 3) Sebastian Vergnaud and Jakob Witcop, 15 dogs, 9:09 a.m.; 4) Dean Osmar and My Dzung Osmar, 18 dogs, 9:33 a.m.; 5) Paul Gerbhardt and Nichole Faille, 20 dogs, 9:37 a.m.; 6) Rick Casillo and Jennifer Casillo, 18 dogs, 9:42 a.m.; 7) Jim Lanier and Gunnar Johnson, 20 dogs, 7:55 a.m.; 8) Richie Diehl and Jeremiah Brown, 20 dogs, 10:08 a.m.; 9) Matthew Failor and Michael Baker, 19 dogs, 10:16 a.m.; 10) Kristy Berington and Andy Pohl, 18 dogs, 10:52 a.m.; 11) Mats Pettersson and Anja Radano, 17 dogs, 11:17 a.m.; 12) Sigrud Ekran and Erelend Johannessen, 19 dogs, 11:17 a.m.; 13) Melanie Shirilla and Travis Taylor, 18 dogs, 11:47 a.m.; 14) Ryan Redington and John Nunnes, 14 dogs, 12:25 p.m.; 15) Noah Pereira and Lou Pereira 18 dogs, 2:16 p.m.; 16) Kristin Bacon and Pam Burlingame, 3:11 p.m.

Correction: An earlier version misspelled the last name of victor Lucas Salzburn.

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