Iditarod musher from Duluth withdraws from race after positive COVID test
Gunnar Johnson.
An Iditarod musher from Duluth has withdrawn from the race after testing positive for COVID-19.
Gunnar Johnson withdrew from the race Wednesday after testing positive at the McGrath checkpoint on the route. The famed race started on March 6 in Alaska.
Johnson was removed from the checkpoint and taken to an Arctic oven tent to isolate, as required by the Iditarod’s COVID-19 mitigation plan.
According to an announcement from the Iditarod, Johnson did not come into contact with any race personnel or enter any community spaces or buildings.
Johnson is a veteran of the race, first participating in 1991.
The Iditarod was shortened from around 1,000 miles to around 860 miles this year to accommodate COVID-19 precautions, according to Alaska Public Media News.
