March 10, 2008

We Have a Winner!

Lance Mackey wins the Iditarod for the second year in a row

By Kathryn Satterfield

At 2:46 a.m. on Wednesday, after traveling 1,100 miles in nine and a half days, Lance Mackey and his dogsled team raced across the finish line. For much of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Mackey was nose-to-nose with four-time winner Jeff King. But in the final hours, Mackey and his team pulled ahead.

AL GRILLO—AP A Great Team: Lance Mackey and his sled dog Handsome celebrate the win.

Cheering fans welcomed Mackey to Nome, Alaska, as he sped toward the finish line. This is his second consecutive win. "I'm not much to brag, but I'm going to this time," he said. "I don't know exactly how to explain it. I'm just blessed with an incredible dog team." King crossed the finish line at 4:05 a.m. "It was a tough competition, but an easy race," he said after shaking Mackey's hand.

The Last Great Race on Earth

The Iditarod takes mushers from Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome. The trek over frozen river, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast can last up to 17 days. Teams endure long hours of darkness and harsh conditions. The trail follows a historic route. In 1925, heroic dog teams delivered life-saving medicine to sick children in Nome. Much has changed since then. Some small towns along the trail have grown into sprawling, densely populated communities. A warming climate and lack of snow have also gotten in the way. In January, Iditarod officials announced that they would move the competitive start of the race 30 miles north, from Wasilla to Willow. Mushers have not taken off from Wasilla since 2002. These days, snow is trucked in for the ceremonial start, in Anchorage.

Go, Dogs, Go!

Eighty teams remain on the trail. The dogs wear booties to protect their feet. Veterinarians man different checkpoints along the way to ensure that the dogs are healthy and can continue to race. Still, the trek is difficult. So far, two dogs have died and 13 mushers have withdrawn from the race. Some animal rights' groups have complained about what they believe are inhumane conditions.

Mackey comes to the Iditarod fresh from a win in last month's Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, which travels across Alaska and Canada. Many of the same dogs were with him for that win, as well as for his back-to-back championships in the Yukon and Iditarod last year. But his dogs have been slowed somewhat by sickness and unseasonably warm temperatures.

Mushers compete for an $875,000 prize, which will be divided among the top 30 finishers. Mackey will receive $69,000 and a new truck worth $45,000. He has said that the prize money helps keep him in the race, so that he doesn't have "to get a real job." But that doesn't mean he gets to avoid hard work: The Iditarod crosses frozen rivers, dense woods and two mountain ranges before a treacherous stretch up the icy Bering Sea shore.

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