Man, 81, Finally Finishes Iditarod

NOME, Alaska — An 81-year-old man drove his dog team down a wet, bare street in Nome today to complete the 1,157-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, six days behind the final official race finishers and 13 days behind the winner.

A crowd cheered as veteran Norman Vaughan and his traveling companion, Carolyn Muegge of Marietta, Ga., crossed the finish line at 8:54 a.m. “I’m finally here,” said Muegge, a newcomer to the race. “I never thought I’d see this place. I didn’t think it would ever end.” A musher and adventurer for more than half a century, Vaughan drove a dog team during Adm. Richard Byrd’s Antarctic expedition.