‘Life Below Zero’ Alum Jessie Holmes Wins Iditarod Race In His Eighth Try​on March 15, 2025 at 2:07 am

Jessie Holmes, who appeared on the long-running Nat Geo series Life Below Zero that follows people living subsistence lifestyles in the most remote parts of Alaska, won the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday.

It was his eighth time in the race, which this year was expanded from the normal 1,000 miles across the Alaskan wilds to more than 1,100 because of a lack of snow — making it the longest Iditarod ever. The race began March 3 in Fairbanks, and Holmes crossed the finish line today in Nome with a time of 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.

“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s a magical feeling,” Holmes told the Associated Press after the win. “It’s not about this moment now. It’s about all those moments along the trail.”

Holmes was born in Alabama and moved to Alaska in 2004. He is a carpenter by trade and lives about 50 miles southwest of Fairbanks in Nenana, the AP said.

He appeared on Life Below Zero from 2015-2023. The series just aired its 23rd season.

Here’s a clip from a Season 19 episode where Holmes returns to his old homestead and fishes for burbot.

Life Below Zero has won nine Emmys among 19 nominations, many in the Cinematography and Picture Editing Categories. In 2024, it won for Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program, giving DPs Michael Cheeseman and Danny Day their seventh wins for the show.