Fairbanks Musher Pulls Ahead (for good?)

March 11, 2008 | Tags: Dog Mushing, Lance Mackey, Yukon Quest

If Lance Mackey wins the 2008 Iditarod, he will not only be the first musher ever to win the Yukon Quest and Iditarod back to back, he will have done it twice - in a row. One of the greatest stories in mushing history will have been formed in Alaska’s Interior by a musher who grew into this championship form on the toughest trail - not from Anchorage to Nome - but from Fairbanks to Whitehorse.

While the Last Great Race has built a following for being the most prestigious in mushing, the Yukon Quest has built its own on the basis of sheer difficulty. As a four time winner, Lance has seen his dogs harden into some of the best in the world. So…if you’re an Iditarod fan who hasn’t heard about the “toughest sled dog race in the world”, it’s time to get up to “speed”. Perhaps you should even begin making your plans to be in Fairbanks for the finish in 2009, as Lance tries for his fifth consecutive win.

Here’s the latest from the trail to Nome. By the way, three of the top five mushers are from Alaska’s Interior!