Defending Iditarod champ remains self-proclaimed ‘goofball’
WILLOW, Alaska — Joar Leifseth Ulsom may not be flashy or brash, but he has sled cred.
The quiet, unassuming 32-year-old defending champion of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race leads the field of 52 mushers hoping to be the first to reach Alaska’s western coast after a thousand-mile (1,600-kilometre) trek across the wilderness.
Most of the contestants are Americans, but the lineup also features international mushers: two from Norway, including Ulsom; four from Canada; and one each from Sweden and France.
Their quest officially began Sunday when the mushers took off from a frozen lake about 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of Anchorage. A ceremonial start designed to be a fan-friendly experience was held Saturday in downtown Anchorage.