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LISTEN: Iditarod front-runner Jessie Royer tells the story of how her sled caught fire

Jessie Royer pulling into the Nikolai checkpoint on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Jessie Royer pulling into the Nikolai checkpoint on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)

Jessie Royer has been running at the front of the pack in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. She and her 13 sled dogs pulled into Kaltag first on Saturday afternoon, about 350 miles from the finish line.

That's even with a fiery mishap. Listen below as Royer recounts how her sled caught on fire during her 70-mile trip from Cripple to Ruby.

Related:  Follow all of our coverage of the 2020 Iditarod here.

Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska. @ZachHughesAK About Zachariah