MISSOULA — Jesse Royer, of Darby, won the 300-mile Race to the Sky sled dog race for the second straight year, overcoming pouring rain and sloppy conditions on the final 20 miles.
The Missoulian reports the 38-year-old Iditarod veteran overtook Brett Bruggeman, the runner-up from Great Falls, in the pre-dawn darkness on the climb up Huckleberry Pass. She crossed the finish line at 8:39 a.m. Monday, marking an unprecedented third win in the race’s 31-year history.
Bruggeman came in seven minutes later.
While challenging weather has dogged most Races to the Sky in the past, few ended in a downpour like this one.
Royer said, “I don’t think I could get any wetter if I jumped in a lake right now.”