News from McGrath – Shortly after 20:00 on Tuesday evening, Jessie Holmes was the first 2026 musher to arrive in the Athabaskan village at the confluence of the Kuskokwim and Takotna Rivers. Holmes had 16 dogs in harness. As the First team to arrive, Holmes received the Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award. Holmes was presented with a pair of beaver fur musher mitts with Athabaskan beadwork on moose hide handcrafted by Loretta Maillelle of McGrath along with a beaver fur hat made by Rosalie Egrass of McGrath. The award was presented by Jessica Beans-Vaeao who serves as Charter Coordinator for Alaska Air Transit.
Alaska Air Transit has been a race sponsor for eight years and has presented the Spirit of Iditarod Award for the past seven years. AAT offers crucial flight support statewide via air charter and provides scheduled service to the upper Kuskokwim communities of Nikolai, McGrath, Takotna and Tatlina as well as the Prince William Sound communities of Tatitlek and Chenega.
Before arriving in McGrath, Jessie shared his immediate race plans with the insider guys. He mentioned two Iditarod icons, Susan Butcher and Lance Mackey. Susan and Lance are the only two mushers to claim a second win immediately following their first. Butcher’s first win came in 1986 followed by her second in 1987. Mackey earned his first win in 2007 and claimed his second in 2008. Jessie would like to join their club. His plan is to read Mother Nature and read the trail then make necessary adjustments. He’s at the front of the pack, in the position he wants to be in. From there he says he can dictate the pace of the race. Jessie praised a new leader, Bronco. Bronco and partner Zeus are taking the lead at times to rest his tried and true pair, Polar and Hercules…