Iditarod veteran wins Nome Sign 40 sled dog race

WASILLA — Iditarod veteran Ryan Redington finished first in the Nome Sign 40 sled dog race Sunday in Knik.

Redington finished the 40-mile run in 3 hours, 37 minutes. The race starts at Knik Lake and follows the Iditarod Trail 20 miles to the Nome sign, and the course sends teams back to Knik.

“The Nome Sign is a bit of musher humor,” organizer Doug Bartko said in an email. “The sign is along the trail and says Nome 1,049 miles.”

Bartko said start positions at the lake were too wet and an alternate start was moved closer to the Knik Bar, and the trail followed the side of the lake to the Iditarod Trail.

Redington was the first of three to finish the 40-mile race. Trapper Creek’s Hunter Keefe was second at 3:44:00. Pat Noddin, of Alberta, Canada, finished third at 4:06:00.

There was also the Nome Sign 10, a short 10-mile race. Both are part of the Hal Bartko Memorial races. Juliah DeLoach, of Trapper Creek, used a time of 49 minutes, 34 seconds to win. DeLoach finished exactly two minutes ahead of Marilyn Mapes, of Knik.

Sarah Varland (Knik), Katrina Deyoung (Talkeetna), Paul Forman (Knik), Stacie Tarpey (Seward) and Brooke Wilson (Knik) also finished.

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