Mike Williams Jr. finished 25th in the Iditarod on Thursday. The Akiak musher passed under the burled arch in Nome at around 6:45 p.m.
This was Williams Jr.’s sixth Iditarod, and he arrived in Nome hot on the tail of legendary musher, Jeff King. He was greeted in the chute by his family and by fellow Y-K Delta mushers Richie Diehl and Pete Kaiser. One of the first things he did was get on Facetime with his daughters.
In an interview with KNOM’s David Dodman, Williams Jr. said that he was happy to finish; the trail was snowy this year. "There were a couple times I thought I might not make it, but the dogs pushed through," he said. "I was fortunate that they didn’t get sick."
Williams is one of three Y-K Delta mushers who finished in the top 25 this year’s Iditarod. Pete Kaiser came in fifth on Wednesday, and Richie Diehl finished sixth. What’s Williams Jr.’s advice to aspiring Y-K Delta mushers?
"No matter how hard it gets, keep going, keep trying, and don’t give up," Williams Jr. said.
Williams Jr. finished the grueling race in 11 days and four hours.