New York teen wins Junior Iditarod

WILLOW — A New York native with ties to the Seavey family, edged the youngest member of the Seavey clan to win the 2013 Junior Iditarod.

Noah Pereira, 16, reached the Willow Community Center at 11:32 a.m. Sunday to win his first Junior Iditarod. Pereira edged 2012 Junior Iditarod champion Conway Seavey by only four minutes.

Pereira is a native of Clarkson, NY, but according to junioridtarod.com, he has been working with Coway’s older brother Dallas for the past two years to prepare for the race. Dallas Seavey is the defending Iditarod champion.

Pereira also held a four-minute lead over Seavey at Yentna Station, where mushers took their mandatory layovers Saturday night. Pereira arrived at the Yentna Station Roadhouse at 5:31 p.m. Saturday, and Conway checked in at 5:35 p.m.

Jenny Greger, who finished third in the race, was the fastest to Eagle Song Lodge, the checkpoint that follows Yentna. Greger was a minute ahead of Seavey and two minutes better than Pereira at Eagle Song.

Greger held her slim lead through the Su River Crossing checkpoint, and Seavey took the lead at the Old Hunter Trailhead, the final checkpoint before the finish.

Pereira won the race on the final stretch, needing 2 hours and 5 minutes to mush from Old Hunter Trailhead to the Willow Community Center. He averaged 9.6 mph during the final leg of the race, compared to Seavey’s 9.3 mph and Greger’s 8.7 mph.

Greger reached the community center just after noon on Sunday.

Wasilla’s Benjamin Harper was fourth in the race, and Eagle River’s Alea Robinson finished fifth.

2013 Junior Iditarod

Final standings (into Willow, Sunday)

1. Noah Pereira, 11:32 a.m.; 2. Conway Seavey, 11:36 a.m.; 3. Jenny Greger, 12:09 p.m.; 4. Benjamin Harper, 12:42 p.m.; 5. Alea Robinson, 1:12 p.m.; 6. Jimmy Lanier, 2:13 p.m.; 7. Taylor Steele, 2:13 p.m.; 8. Joshua Klejka, 2:14 p.m.; 9. Malinda Tjeita, 2:45 p.m.; 10. Caleb Miller, 2:47 p.m.; 11. Abigail Brooks, 2:58 p.m.; 12. Jonathon Biggerstaff, 4:42 p.m.