Herbie Nayokpuk, a legendary sledder known around the world, died Saturday. He was 77.

Nayokpuk ran the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 11 times. He never won but made some daring attempts in extreme weather conditions. He suffered a stroke after one race and competed in another despite having just recovered from a heart attack.

"If there was a trophy for courage,'' an Anchorage Times reporter wrote, "Nayokpuk would have won it with ease.''

Nayokpuk's style earned him the nickname "The Shishmaref Cannonball," after the village where he spent all of his life. He will be buried there on Friday.

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The 'Cannonball' passes on (The Anchorage Daily News 12/4)
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