Press Room

News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 16, 2011)

J. J. Keller-Sponsored Musher, 24, Sets Record as Youngest to Finish Iditarod in Top Five

Neenah, WI — Dallas Seavey, a musher sponsored by James and Rosanne Keller representing J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., reached Nome to finish the Iditarod on Tuesday, March 15, in fourth place … another new record for Dallas, now the youngest musher to finish the Iditarod in a top five position. Seavey completed the trail at 5:27 p.m. AKDT, finishing in 9 days, 2 hours, 27 minutes and 18 seconds.

Competing against more than 60 registered mushers, Dallas finished the 2011 race with a personal best time in his fifth run to the famed Burled Arch. Dallas has proven to be a strong contender, breaking a number of records in a few short years. He is the youngest musher in history to compete in the Iditarod (2005, when he was 18 years old), and to finish the race in a top 10 position (2009, when he was 22 years old). The 2009 race also netted him the distinction of most improved musher. In 2010, Dallas became the youngest musher to win the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award. And just last month, Dallas also set a record as the youngest musher ever to win the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest.

Dallas represents the third generation of mushers in the Seavey family; his grandfather Dan helped to found the Iditarod in 1973 and finished third in that race. And the 2011 race is the 18th Iditarod for his father, Mitch Seavey. Mitch has nine top-10 finishes. His race this year, however, was cut short on March 10, when he was forced to withdraw following a severe injury to his hand. He was flown out of Ophir to Anchorage, where he underwent a successful two-hour surgery.

John Baker won this year's Iditarod, shattering the record set by Martin Buser in 2002. Baker reached the finish line at 9:46 a.m., shaving three hours off the previous record, finishing the race in 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds.

Defending champion Lance Mackey had been considered the frontrunner in this year's race, but he finished in 16th place. Mackey is the only musher to win four straight Iditarod Championships. He has also won four straight Yukon Quests.

Waiting at the finish line with his wife, Rosanne, James Keller spoke on behalf of the J. J. Keller/Seavey team: "While Baker’s win set a new record for this grueling race, another highlight of this year's Iditarod was Dallas Seavey and his remarkable fourth place finish. Dallas is an amazing athlete and we're very proud of his accomplishments this year!"

"The Iditarod — The Last Great Race on Earth® — is a world-class event. We come up to Alaska so we can share this excitement with our associates, customers and friends. Please visit our one-of-a-kind website at jjkeller.com/iditarod for news updates, photos and video you won't find anywhere else!"

Note to editors: Many photos are available. Please view at jjkeller.com/iditarod and contact Mary Borsecnik (contact info below) for high-resolution images. James J. Keller, President & COO, is available for comments and background information; please contact Mary Borsecnik.

About J. J. Keller

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.  was established in 1953 and has become the nation’s most respected name in risk and regulatory management. The company employs over 1,100 associates and serves over 350,000 customers including more than 90% of the Fortune 1000. Keller’s broad product line includes printed publications, forms and supplies, video-based training programs, software, online management tools and training, outsource services, consulting and mobile technology. These diverse product offerings cover more than 1,500 topics, including CSA, hours of service, vehicle inspection and maintenance, driver qualification and training, and hazardous materials. For more information, visit jjkeller.com.

About the Iditarod®

By far Alaska’s best-known sporting event, the Iditarod is a 1,150-mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and their sled dogs travel through jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast … battling below-zero temperatures, high winds, and long hours of darkness and isolation.