Nicolas Petit wins the First Musher to the Yukon Award

Veteran musher Nicolas Petit, of Big Lake, was the first musher to arrive at the Ruby checkpoint on the Yukon River on Thursday, March 7 at 10:08 p.m. with 15 dogs in harness, earning the First Musher to the Yukon Award. The award consisted of a gourmet dinner prepared by Top Chefs from Locally Grown Restaurants, which owns the popular Anchorage eateries Spenard Roadhouse, Snow City Cafe, Crush Wine Bistro and South Restaurant and Coffeehouse.

Among the crafted menu was a seared scallop appetizer with a butternut squash purée and crispy prosciutto, arugula salad with a champagne vinaigrette, Italian sausage soup. For the main course, Petit dined on a ribeye steak topped with gorgonzola truffle butter, paired with smashed rosemary and parmesan fingerling potatoes and to compliment the meal, a dessert of strawberry crème brûlée with white chocolate and fresh berries.

“Petit thoroughly enjoyed his meal, which he shared with Ruby resident and long-time Iditarod volunteer, Nate Titus,” according to the press release.

Meanwhile, on March 6, musher Dallas Seavey (bib #7), of Talkeetna, Alaska, was the first musher to reach the Cripple checkpoint, which is halfway point of the Northern Route in Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race®. Seavey arrived at 8:09 p.m. with 15 dogs in harness.

By arriving first in Cripple, Seavey wins the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award and has a choice of either $3,000 in gold nuggets or a smartphone of his choosing with a year of free GCI mobile service.

The halfway award honors the late “Mother of the Iditarod,” Dorothy G. Page. The trophy, which is made of Alaska birch and marble and features a photo of Page, remains year-round at Iditarod headquarters.

“As the official technology partner of the Iditarod, we are proud to power one of the most historic sporting events in Alaska,” said GCI Contributions and Events Senior Manager Tiffany Vassar. “This race travels through some of the most remote terrain in our state.”

This award will be re-presented to Seavey at the finishers’ banquet in Nome.