ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Four-time champion Jeff King took a razor-thin lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, trading places with his closest rival by departing a checkpoint one minute earlier on Alaska’s wind-scoured western coast.
Aliy Zirkle, who’s come in second the last two years, led hours before when she arrived at the village of Koyuk, one minute ahead of King on Sunday afternoon.
King rested his 12-dog team at the checkpoint for three hours and 42 minutes, while Zirkle and her 11 dogs took a break for three hours and 44 minutes. King departed Koyuk at 5:50 p.m. Sunday, and Zirkle got back on the trail at 5:51 p.m.
They are on a 48-mile dash to the next checkpoint of Elim on Golovin Bay, 123 miles from the finish line in Nome.
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