Fairbanks Musher Headed for His Third in a Row!
March 18, 2009 | Tags: Dog Mushing, Iditarod, Lance Mackey, Yukon Quest
At this very moment Lance Mackey has a substantial lead on the last leg of the 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Mackey is a Fairbanks resident and a four-time winner of the Yukon Quest, which also runs 1,000 miles from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon. Lance was the first ever musher to win those races back to back, and just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, did it two years in a row (2007 and 2008).
Lance’s closest competitor is the reigning Yukon Quest Champion Sebastian Schnuelle. His Quest victory this year was close, as currently 14th place Hugh Neff came into the Fairbanks finish just a matter of minutes behind. Other Interior mushers or Quest veterans in the Iditarod 2009 top 20 include Aaron Burmeister of Nenana (4th), Jessie Royer of Fairbanks (8th), Aliy Zirkle of Two Rivers (11th), Sonny Lindner of Two Rivers (15th), Ken Anderson of Fairbanks (16th), three-time Quest winner Hans Gatt (17th) and Jeff King of Denali (18th).
The Yukon Quest is gaining more and more prominance as the mushers and mushing fans begin to realize this “toughest sled dog race in the world” has become the crucible in which the elite teams are formed. So if you’re not tuned in, get to the Quest website and get an education. The sled dog racing champions of tomorrow and today are already there!
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