Early life Seavey was born in
Deerwood, Minnesota, on August 19, 1937. His father worked as a
miner and, along with his mother, operated a
family farm. In 1973, Seavey competed in the race's first iteration. During the race, he took notes on his experience using a cassette recorder and carried 350 souvenir letters which he mailed from
Nome. He finished the race in third place on March 23, 1973, twenty days after he started. He competed again in 1974, placing fifth out of twenty-six contestants. During the race he faced a near-death experience after the frozen water of a river began to buckle as he crossed, causing him and his dogs to begin sinking before making it to shore. Seavey served on multiple boards relating to the Iditarod Trail. == Personal life ==