March 08, 2018 - 7:56 AM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - If you're at the front of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, chances are you're speaking Norwegian.
Mushers from Norway are in the top two spots Thursday as mushers and their dog teams make their way to the finish line in Nome. The winner is expected early next week.
Joar Ulsom continues to be the race leader. Late Wednesday, he pocketed $3,000 in gold nuggets for being the first musher to reach the halfway point when he pulled into the ghost town of Iditarod, Alaska.
Norwegian Lars Monsen is in second place, followed by three Alaskans. In third is Larry Daugherty, a radiation oncologist who summited Mount Everest after running last year's Iditarod. Rounding out the top five are four-time champion Jeff King and the defending champion, Mitch Seavey.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018