A top contender in a major dog sled race in Alaska was disqualified on Tuesday evening for carrying an iPod touch . Brent Sass of Eureka was told he violated Rule 35 of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race , which prohibits cellphones and other two-way communication devices with wireless capability . The 35-year-old musher was running fifth place and a quarter of the way through the 979-mile contest when he was pulled off the course . Scroll down for video . Still smiling : Brent Sass of Eureka ( right ) was disqualified on Tuesday evening from the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for carrying an iPod touch . Sass told the Alaska Dispatch News that he had no idea that he was doing anything wrong . ' I didn ’ t use [ the iPod touch ] and I had zero intent of using it for a Wi-Fi connection in checkpoints , but I was just completely clueless , ' he said . ' I mean I gave my dad my cell phone because I knew you couldn ’ t have cell phones on this race specifically and I was just ignorant . ' Sebastian Schnuelle , a Canadian dog musher and dog sled racer from Whitehorse , Yukon , who is not running in this year 's Iditarod described Sass ' disqualification as 'disappointment ' . The 35-year-old musher was running fifth place and a quarter of the way through the 979-mile contest when he was pulled off the course ( Rohn Buser 's lead dogs pictured above ) Ready , set : People stand near the start area during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday in Fairbanks . 'He was running a great team , ' Schnuelle added . Sass , owner and founder of Wild and Free Mushing , has been racing and training huskies for 12 years . Originally from Excelsior , Minnesota , Sass moved to Alaska in 1998 to 'fulfill a lifelong dream ' of living in the state . He attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he graduated with a major in geography and started mushing shortly after . Weather impacts : Iditarod mushers began their 1,000-mile trek across Alaska along a new route after poor trail conditions forced organizers to push the race 's start north , bypassing a mountain range . Career high : Musher Timothy Hunt waits for his turn near the start area during the Iditarod . Since his first race in 2006 , Sass has placed in over 20 races , including several first place finishes . Last month he won 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race . The Iditarod began Monday in Fairbanks and will finish in Nome . Aliy Zirkle of Two Rivers was in the lead 227 miles into the race Tuesday at the Tanana checkpoint , where Sass is currently resting . The fastest winning record was set in 2014 by Dallas Seavey with a time of eight days , 13 hours , four minutes , and 19 seconds .
Brent Sass of Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race was told he violated Rule 35 of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race , which prohibits cellphones and other two-way communication devices with wireless capability . The 35-year-old musher was running fifth place and a quarter of the way through the 979-mile contest when he was pulled off the course . Sass , owner and founder of Wild and Free Mushing , has been racing and training huskies for 12 years .