What’s it called?

Race to the finish line for Mackey, King

By Craig Medred and Kevin Klott
Anchorage Daily News

Published: March 11th, 2008 06:33 PM
Last Modified: March 11th, 2008 10:46 PM

Update: Based on satellite tracking data, The Anchorage Daily News Tuesday night was projecting Lance Mackey the winner of the 2008 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The race was expected to finish in Nome between 2 and 5 a.m. — too late to get the results into your good morning newspaper. But full results and a race recap should be available at www.adn.com by breakfast time.

You can read the entire article - a good, informative one - at the link above. The title of this post refers to this bit from the middle:

…the victory, it appears, will go to the man who last year did what was considered impossible in winning the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory at the end of February, and then getting back on the runners at the start of March to charge to victory in the Iditarod.

If that was the seemingly impossible, what is a Quest-Iditarod-Quest-Iditarod string of victories called?

According to the Tracker, Lance is out of White Mountain, rolling along at 6 miles an hour. According to an update by Craig Medred in the Anchorage Daily News, one of his key leaders, the indomitable Larry, has an infected foot:

“Larry has some issues,” Mackey said. “He’s got an infected foot (because of) a split that wasn’t controlled. He’s irritated with me. He’s got bombproof feet, and I screwed up.”

In his respected Trail Notes, Don Bowers wrote about the trail ahead of them:

The trail leaves White Mountain on the Fish River for about three miles, and then leaves the river to cut overland to the southwest, crossing low, rolling tundra and several streams before reaching the Klokerblok River. It runs up the river and across some low ridges, and then crosses into the drainage of the Topkok River.

The trail then turns west and climbs over a series of barren ridges to a 400-foot saddle just northwest of Topkok Head, overlooking the coast. It then descends sharply to the beach, reaching the Nome Kennel Club shelter cabin at the foot of the hill, 30 miles from White Mountain.

For the next 12 miles the trail runs along or just behind the dune line and the “driftwood line” on the shore. This stretch is wide open and is subject to winds of more than 80 miles an hour from the north, as well as blinding whiteouts. The trail will join the Nome-to-Council road (not plowed in the winter) at the Bonanza Ferry bridge and then follow it for the last 12 miles to Safety.

Trail conditions on this leg can range from excellent to abysmal, and usually include glare ice, overflow, drifted snow, bare tundra, sand, and exposed gravel on the road.

Plenty of trail details at the link above, and then Don’s description ends with this:

You’ll see some old cabins and ruins along the road all the way into Nome. Some are still used as recreational cabins by Nomeites. In 1898 and 1899 the beach you’re running along was almost shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of people trying to make their fortunes from the gold-rich beach sand. There’s still pay dirt there if you want to come back in the summer and give it a try, and lots of people do. There have never been any permanent claims allowed on the beach, which is public property. As long as you’re actively working a spot, it’s yours.

At the end of the spit you’ll see the Safety bridge ahead; the trail will bypass the bridge to the left. The lone warehouse-looking building ahead on the far side of the bridge is Safety Roadhouse, the last checkpoint on the trail before Nome.

Most drivers don’t stop very long at Safety, just long enough to pick up their bibs for the last 22 miles to Front Street. You were able to ship something here if you wanted; the dogs would probably appreciate a snack. If you’re not in a major hurry, you can step inside the roadhouse for a bowl of soup or a beverage (and to use the facilities). Note: If there is a storm in progress, you might consider waiting here for awhile because you have almost no shelter between here and Nome.

In real life I’m the managing editor for a national magazine, and as such, I truly appreciate good writing. Jon’s always been one of my favorites, but he was in fine form this morning at his “Eye on the Trail” blog for Iditarod 36:

Mackey sneaks out of Elim, gains edge
Date: March 11, 2008 at 12:28 pm

WHITE MOUNTAIN — If Lance Mackey pulls off a victory, it may have been a little of that old Mackey magic — a recipe that includes a dash of mind games and a lot of old-fashioned hard work — that made the difference.

First, the head game: Mackey lulled his rival, Jeff King, into parking his team at Elim. He then tip-toed out of the checkpoint at 2:20 a.m. after just an hour and 20 minutes rest, right as King shut his eyes for a nap. That was textbook Iditarod tricksterism. The move gained Mackey a one-hour advantage leaving that checkpoint. The hard work part came next, when the reigning Iditarod champion then called up his team and ski-poled for the next six and a half hours to maintain that advantage all the way to White Mountain.

I’m not going to copy Jon’s article here - click over at the link above to read it on his blog. Be prepared for some wonderful “tales of the trail,” like Jeff’s reaction when he woke up in Elim to find Lance gone, how Rick Swenson fooled everyone in 1983, what Lance considered doing but thought better of, and why Jeff slept on Lance’s boots! Great stuff!

Go Jon, go!

Adapted from an ADN sidebar -
The top five closest Iditarod finishes:

1978 — Dick Mackey beat Rick Swenson by 1 second
1982 — Rick Swenson beat Susan Butcher by 4 minutes
1977 — Rick Swenson beat Jerry Riley by 5 minutes
1975 — Emmitt Peters beat Jerry Riley by 27 minutes
1993 — Jeff King beat DeeDee Jonrowe by 33 minutes

Posted by Jon Little at the Iditarod’s Eye on the Trail blog:

KOYUK — Seven teams were all packed together in the space of about an hour as the world’s premier distance sled dog race nears the end of 1,000 miles of racing. Incredible. They poured up the street into this village in a stream, led by four-time champion Martin Buser at 8:44 p.m.

“Yeah, it’s a wild race. Holy moly,” Gatt said as he grabbed supplies to feed his dogs.

Read the rest of this great article at the link above.

Josh Rogers’ Iditablog has become one of my favorite sources of detailed information and perspective on the race. He’s clearly an avid fan and a better-than-average blogger, evidenced by this entry from earlier today:

I’m still curious whats going to happen between Mackey and King, in Unalakleet yesterday Lance spoke to reporters about how he just wanted to do well, how he was already thinking about next year’s team, and if you go back to the beginning of the race in Anchorage Mackey always talked about wanting to have a good showing in the All Alaska Sweepstakes over winning his second Iditarod. Compare that to King - he was the first into Unalakleet and immediately mentioned going onto winning his fifth Iditarod this year, bragged on his team, and had a pretty upbeat attitude. Last year after coming into Unalakleet Jeff King sounded like Mackey did this year, he told me about how if he didn’t win, he hoped Lance would because it was “such a magical story”. Perhaps Mackey’s quotes this year were taken out of context when I read them, he’s holding King back pretty well right now…..but Nome isn’t just right around the corner either.

I’ve added Josh’s Iditablog to my Good Links in the sidebar.

Interesting note in a Jon Little article about Kotzbue native John Baker getting his second wind on the coast:

Booties have become a dirty word among the mushers this year. Bootying dogs is always a necessary but onerous and back-breaking task. But the soft snow on the trail this year forms ice balls on the booties, forcing mushers to either brush it off or replace the bootie more often than they’d like. Everyone is complaining about it.

Shaktoolik to Koyuk
by Donald Bowers, Jr.

Quick Overview

There is only one thing to say about this leg—bleak, flat, and deadly monotonous. Locals say the actual distance is under 50 miles, but it always seems like a hundred. There is not so much as a shrub on this stretch, most of which is over the sea ice of Norton Bay. Plan on five to nine hours for the crossing, more if the wind is blowing hard.

The trail runs almost due north from Shaktoolik, overland across very low rolling terrain for about nine miles to Reindeer Cove, then across the ice for five miles to Island Point, then back onto the ice immediately for the last 45 miles to Koyuk. There are no hills.

The trail is also the main snowmachine trail to Koyuk and is well used. However, winds can wipe it smooth in hours. It is well marked with Iditarod trail stakes, spruce boughs, or both. The trail can range from a groomed speedway to rough ice to drifted snow to glare ice. The wind is usually blowing, and almost always right in your face. Days with less than 20 or 30 mph breezes are uncommon. The wind can blow at hurricane velocity out here and ground blizzards can reduce visibility to zero in minutes. You MUST check the weather carefully before heading out. If you get caught in a storm on the ice, you will be in very serious trouble.

Another problem is that some dogs are put off by the white expanse and won’t go or will try to turn back. Every year teams stall here; some drivers are able to get their teams going after a rest, and some can get their leaders to follow another team across. Some have to scratch. This is where a “coast leader” is invaluable; these are leaders used to running in this environment and who aren’t fazed by winds or wide-open spaces.

More detailed description.

Lance’s CB Sled in Dawson City, Yukon. Photo © 2008 Helen Hegener.

Lance has a dogsled from New Hampshire this year, an eye-catching design crafted by Carl Brown, a sled maker for almost 20 years. An article for the New Hampshire Union Leader noted:

Brown uses white ash, which gives his sleds a traditional look. But it’s composite materials, such as Kevlar and carbon fiber, that have significantly lightened the sled, from the typical 50 pounds to just over 37 pounds.

Words like “camber,” “flex” and “torque” are part of Brown’s explanation of his sleds, but when he’s asked to name one of his biggest innovations, he pauses.

“Reflective letters,” he says with a grin.

When Mackey pulled into Ruby, Alaska, as the front-runner on Friday, Brown didn’t have to guess whether it was his sled behind the dogs. The distinctive green reflective tape, with its repeating CBSLED, was clearly visible.

At the link above there’s a terrific picture of Lance riding down the Yukon River atop his CB Sled!

Visit the CB Sled website.

I spent most of Sunday going about other things, but along the way I’d hear reports from family and friends: “Lance is still leading!” “Hey, Jeff just passed him!” “Wow, Lance is back in the lead again…” They pulled into Shaktoolik only 13 minutes apart - Lance in front. It’s like a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. The Anchorage Daily News posted an article at 1:30 am Monday titled “King and Mackey move back and forth.” By 4:00 am they’d retitled it “King and Mackey leapfrog up the coast.” Succinctly written.

This race has become as exciting as the recent Yukon Quest duel between Lance Mackey and Ken Anderson, who’s currently in Unalakleet in the #8 position. That race went right down to the wire, with Lance finishing a mere eight minutes ahead of Ken - but finish first he did, also taking the Veterinarian’s Choice Award for excellent dog care in the process!

I talked with Lance a number of times during his Quest run, and more than once he sounded genuinely happy to be in such a close race with Ken. He said it made things more interesting for the fans, and kept the race in the news more than if one musher was far out ahead and would obviously win. That seems to be true for this 36th Iditarod, as my news alerts mailbox is full of media links from across the nation and around the world as news of this exciting race spreads. I don’t know how happy Lance is to have Jeff so close on his heels, but I’m sure Lance still has his eye on the big picture, the future of sled dog racing and what this kind of media attention can mean, and that makes him the best kind of champion.