With less than 200 miles to the finish, the top 33 teams are within 25 miles of each other and any of those teams have the ability to win it. Jeff King and Lance Mackey have been swapping the lead back for forth for the past couple of days. The "old Master" Rick Swenson is up in the top 10, as is Ken Anderson, Martin Buser, Mitch Seavey, and the other "usual suspects".
This thing truly has turned into a sled dog race, and one well worth watching.
HOLY SMOKES - Lance Mackey did it AGAIN!!!! He got back to back wins in this year's Yukon Quest and Iditarod. The story is TOO good, and can be read in today's issue of the Anchorage Daily News
Lance has a chance to win a triple-crown that won't be repeated for at least another 25 years. On March 29th he and Jeff King will compete against 13 other mushers for a $100,000.00 winner-take-all purse in the All Alaska Sweepstakes
In the long distance mushing world, it is 100% GAME ON.
Just noticed that there will be a special on the Discovery channel about the Iditarod. Looking forward to watching it.
Did Lance take the triple-crown?
Flora
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"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit." -
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
K. Gibran
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."
Although Lance won both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, he was not able to prevail in the All Alaska Sweepstakes. In that race he was literally rear-ended by a drunk on a snow machine. He had his favorite dog in the sled basket (Zoro) and Zoro was badly injured. He's recovered enough to be comfortable, but will never be able to run in harness again.
Dear Lord, lest I continue in my complacent ways, help me to remember that someone died for me today. And if there be war, help me to remember to ask and to answer "am I worth dying for?" - Eleanor Roosevelt
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)
Lance dealt with the fellow one-on-one. No details have been made public other than Lance saying that the guy "made it right".
Last year was a tough one for collisions between snowmachines and dog teams. A dog on Jennifer Freking's team was killed, and another injured, when a snowmachine struck their team during the I'rod.
I just saw the first installment of the special. It was really a very informative piece. It is nice to put a face to Lance. I did not realize that so many ran the race. And many, Lance included, were cancer survivors.
It was good to know that there were 40 veterinarians on hand to look after the dogs.