IDITAROD STANDINGS: Mushers arrive in Nome in record time

1. Mitch Seavey -- 8 days, 3 hrs, 40 min, 13 sec

2. Dallas Seavey -- 8 days, 6 hrs, 23 min, 31 sec

3. Nicolas Petit -- 8 days, 6 hrs, 29 min, 13 sec

4. Joar Leifseth Ulsom -- 8 days, 11 hrs, 0 min, 40 sec

5. Jessie Royer -- 8 days, 13 hrs, 8 min, 54 sec

6. Wade Marrs -- 8 days, 18 hrs, 43 min, 40 sec

7. Ray Redington Jr.: 8 days, 21 hrs, 13 min, 4 sec

8. Aliy Zirkle: 8 days, 22 hrs, 49 min, 42 sec

9. Peter Kaiser: 8 days 23 hrs, 5 min, 38 sec

10. Paul Gebhardt: 9 days 0 hrs, 0 min, 6 sec

Find all of Channel 2's start-to-finish coverage of the

Mitch Seavey has crushed the Iditarod speed record on this alternate trail route, finishing in 8 days, 3 hours and 40 minutes.

(The

displayed a time of an hour longer, but that might be a result of the clock not "springing" forward for Daylight Saving Time.)

The previous record, set last year by Seavey's 30-year-old son, Dallas, was 8 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes.

Mitch also breaks his own 2013 record as the oldest musher to win the race at age 57. The father-son Seaveys have won every Iditarod since John Baker's own record-setting run in 2011.

This year, mushers are traveling an unusual route that started in Fairbanks, rather than Willow, due to low snow on key stretches of the trail. The 2017 Iditarod is officially 979 miles, although that includes 11 miles at the ceremonial start from Downtown Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip.

Mitch Seavey, 57, spent just 1 minute in the Safety checkpoint where he put on his race bib and charged toward Nome.

Seavey is just miles away from his third Iditarod win and is on pace to shatter the speed record that his son, Dallas, set just last year.

He has 11 dogs in harness and traveled the 55 miles from White Mountain to Safety at 9.91 mph.

Mitch previously won the race in 2004 and 2013.

This year, mushers are traveling an unusual route that started in Fairbanks, rather than Willow, due to low snow on key stretches of the trail. The 2017 Iditarod is officially 979 miles, although that includes 11 miles at the ceremonial start from Downtown Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip.

Mitch Seavey has started the final 77-mile push to Nome, poised for a record-breaking Iditarod win later today. Barring a major mishap or upset along the final stretch of trail, Seavey is on pace to run the fastest-ever Iditarod.

He arrived in White Mountain at 11:36 p.m. Monday, an hour and 41 minutes ahead of son and defending champion Dallas Seavey, 30.

Dallas set the speed record last year with a time of 8 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes and 16 seconds.

Mitch, 57, left the riverside village checkpoint at 7:36 a.m. today with 12 dogs in harness.

Racers often take about 10 hours to travel from White Mountain to the burled arch in Nome, which could place Seavey at the finish line at about 3:30 or more likely 4:30 p.m. That would shave hours off the speed record.

Mushers are required to pause for 8 hours in White Mountain, meaning that leaders are well rested before the last hours of mushing and difficult to catch for chasers.