The race is literally on in the Iditarod as the two front-runners begin the final 77-mile run to Nome. A winner is expected early tomorrow morning. Lance Mackey left the White Mountain checkpoint at 4:53 p.m. this afternoon, and Jeff King will follow him out nearly an hour later at 5:50 p.m. The next group of mushers vying for third are more than 4 hours behind, giving the two leaders a wide berth. Ramey Smith, Ken Anderson, Hans Gatt and Martin Buser are all taking their mandatory 8-hour rests in White Mountain in a tightly packed group. They’ll leave the checkpoint within 30 minutes of each other starting at 11:44 p.m. tonight.
Be sure to listen to the attached audio report from the trail — it includes the tale of a practical joke (very practical) from the Elim checkpoint that might make Mackey the winner yet again. He played “the oldest trick in the book” for Iditarod mushers and caught Jeff King at least partially off-guard. Given the tight nature of the remainder of the race, this little trick might make the difference between winning and losing.
Libby Casey, KUAC - White Mountain
My two favorite mushers of all time….going head to head…and I can listen to them while they do it THANKS!!!!!
Wow…thanks for a wonderful report…just now read it… after the fact that we know who won, but I still love it. Great job and a great big Tennessee THANKS! I will include y’all next year when I’m searching for Iditarod info…again, THANKS!