One of Alaska’s most popular and best...
One of Alaska’s most popular and best long-distance sled dog racers finished the 1,158-mile Iditarod race faster than most, but a day after reaching the finish line he suffered a heart attack and a stroke.
Herbie Nayokpuk, 58, an Eskimo ivory carver from Shishmaref north of Nome, where the race finished, was in fair condition in Providence Hospital in Anchorage.
Nayokpuk, who has a history of heart trouble, arrived in Nome Friday in sixth place after more than 13 days on the rugged Iditarod trail. The final leg of the race was marked by sub-zero weather and a last-minute sprint to the finish line in which Nayokpuk was beaten out for fifth place by one minute. His sixth place finish earned him $7,200.
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