For the second year in a row, Lance Mackey won both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, the worlds most demanding sled dog races. Lance rolled into Nome, Alaska early this morning, completing the 1,150 mile race in 9 days, 11 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds. To win one of these races is truly remarkable, to win both in the same year is nearly impossible. The Quest, held in February, is a 1,000 mile run from Fairbanks, Alaska to Yukon, Canada and this year featured temperatures as low as minus 60 degrees. Most of the dogs on Mackey's Quest run also made the run from Anchorage to Nome and thus can lay claim to winning the two premier long distance races in the world.
It will take several more days for the rest of the field to finish and you can rest assured that each and every team that finishes "The Last Great Race" will feel as if they were the winners, so demanding is the run. I know that to most of you, this just isn't that big of a deal, but to people in Alaska and dog lovers all over, the Iditarod has a special place in the heart. It's one of those sporting events that stands out for what it is, not what it isn't. I would place the Kentucky Derby, The Indianapolis 500, The Tour de France and Boston Marathon in the same field, events that transcend their respective sports and take on a life of their own.
Congrats Lance and give those dogs some much needed rest, though he's schedule to tackle another big race in a few weeks.
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