Schroeder entering home stretch of Iditarod

Chisholm musher Nathan Schroeder was running in 21st place in Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday as the top teams entered the final stretch of the race.
Schroeder reached the Koyuk checkpoint on the Bering Sea coast - 808 miles into the 979-mile race from Fairbanks to Nome - at 10:49 a.m. Alaska time Tuesday, according to the race website. He left on the leg to Elim, about 50 miles away, early Tuesday evening.
Schroeder, a three-time John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon champion, was running with eight of his original 16-dog team. Mushers must have at least six dogs pulling their sled at the finish.
Defending champion Dallas Seavey of Willow, Alaska, remained in the lead, arriving at the White Mountain checkpoint - 77 miles from the finish -- at 10:10 a.m. He was more than four hours ahead of the second-place musher - his father, Mitch, a two-time Iditarod champion. Iditarod veteran Aaron Burmeister of Nome - who has finished as high as fourth place, in 2012 - was about a half-hour behind Mitch Seavey.
Sixty-nine of the 78 mushers who started the race remained on the trail Tuesday.
Check duluthnewstribune.com for updates.