Another dog, Bubba, also helped lead. Erin Aili, of Ray, Minn., approaches the finish of the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon on Tuesday in Grand Portage. “Her and Bubba did a really good job ...

He gave a special salute to his two lead canines, Hercules ... the 1925 Serum Run, in which sled dog teams saved Nome from a deadly diphtheria outbreak. Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.

And then they’re off, sleds battling for the lead, dogs running over one another ... meat as a dozen or so onlookers lifted him and his sled above their heads.