Lance Mackey departed Shaktoolik early this morning just before 2:45 a.m. after just 5 minutes of rest. He stole the lead from Paul Gebhardt on the run from Unalakleet, making up the mere 20-minute difference in their departure times. Mackey had 13 dogs on the line when he left Shaktoolik, having dropped the first dog in several checkpoints.
Pundits predicted Iditarod 2007 to be the most competive in the race’s history. but they could not have imagined the scene at Unalakleet’s icy checkpoint Sunday as King, Mackey, Buser and Gebhardt parked their teams side by side for a few hours’ break.
An absolutely pumped Lance Mackey looked at his run time as he cooked for his dogs. Mackey left Kaltag 1.5 hours behind Martin Buser, but arrived in Unalakleet two minutes ahead of the Big Lake champ. Mackey also gained a dozen minutes on Paul Gebhardt on the run in from Kaltag. Gebhardt, who took third place in last year’s Iditarod, says he is aiming a little higher this year. Gebhart said the trail in from Kaltag had more snow than expected. But Jeff King, the first to the west coast, said it’s more than trail conditions that make a race.
King, who squeezed past Martin Buser on the run up the Yukon, said he gained on Buser at Eagle Island. A rueful Buser reflected on his race as he bedded down his team in deep straw.
King’s got a 45 minute lead into Unalakleet, but he’s not disregarding any of the other three mushers as potential threats, especially Mackey.
Gebhardt and Mackey’s teams are moving the fastest of the four, with Mackey moving more than nine miles an hour. Can the four keep up the blistering pace?
The four left Unalakleet in reverse order, with Gebhardt first out at 9:00 p.m. sharp, followed by Mackey 19 minutes later, then by Buser and King, only two minutes apart.