The airport in Nome was crowded with people associated with the race in various ways: mushers, judges, pilots, checkpoint crews, media crews - many with gathered families and supporters… And the plane waiting for all of us on the runway was Alaska Airlines’ famed “salmon-forty-salmon.”
Everyone was on the plane and getting comfortably settled when Theresa Daily got a phone call and announced that Jeff Darling was in Safety! We all applauded his progress and left Nome delighted to know that he was finally so close to home and his Sweepstakes finish. We hoped a good crowd would be there to meet him, and several of us admitted we’d thought about staying for a later flight and probably would have if we’d known he was so close.
Fast-forward to Anchorage. A large group is gathered in the concourse to say good-byes before heading down to gather baggage and go on their separate ways. Race Marshall and Lead Judge Al Crane takes a phone call from Nome: Jeff Darling is 100 yards from the finish line!
Al held up his cellphone and the dozen or so people standing in Anchorage cheered him to the finish line from 1,000 miles away! Jeff was clocked under the burled arch at 11:56:11 for a total elapsed trail time of 169:56:11, taking the red lantern and 14th place.
It was a very fitting finish to a great race, and we all left the airport in Anchorage knowing the last musher was safely home in Nome!
Tags: Al Crane, All Alaska Sweepstakes, Anchorage, Jeff Darling, Nome, sled dog race