Norwegian musher takes lead in the Iditarod

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Norwegian musher Joar Ulsom is at the top of the leader board in the world’s most famous sled dog race.

Ulsom, the defending champion, was the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race musher to reach Nikolai, Alaska on Tuesday.

He pulled into the checkpoint 263 miles into the nearly 1,000-mile race with 13 dogs.

He was followed into the Alaska Native community about 90 minutes later by Alaska mushers Pete Kaiser and Jessie Royer. Both still have 14 dogs on their teams.

Ulsom, Kaiser and French man Nicolas Petit have traded the lead throughout the early part of the race. Petit was in fourth place Tuesday.

The race began Sunday north of Anchorage. The winner is expected in Nome, on Alaska’s western coast, next week.