Veteran Iditarod musher Paul Gebhardt passes away

Iditarod musher Paul Gebhardt passed away this weekend following a long bout with cancer, according to Iditarod officials.

Gebhardt was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, specifically with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer which attacks the blood cells, bone, and immune system. He had received treatment in Alaska, then in Seattle. According to reports, his health had been declining before his passing.

Born and raised on a family farm in central Minnesota, Gebhardt raised and oversaw the care of animals his whole life. He moved to Alaska in 1989, calling Kasilof home. He began mushing in 1992, making his debut Iditarod run in 1996. He ran his first Iditarod with dogs he bred up in his own kennel, and eventually formed Morning View Kennel on the Kenai Peninsula.

Gebhardt had not been as active in mushing in recent years, and though he never won the Last Great Race, he finished second twice; in 2000 and 2007. He would go on to compete in 21 Iditarod races, finishing 20 of them, until his last race in 2017, where he finished tenth. Over his career, he earned eight top-10 finishes and nearly $500,000 in prize money.