Four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey has withdrawn from the 2017 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod Trail Committee made the announcement on Monday, September 26th, citing health reasons for Mackey’s decision.
The back-to-back Iditarod champ scratched in Galena in 2016 after a challenging race. The 46-year-old won the Iditarod from 2007-2010. He’s also a four-time winner of the Yukon Quest.
Mackey is the second musher to withdraw from the 2017 race, behind veteran Cim Smyth of Big Lake.
54 mushers have signed-up for “The Last Great Race” so far. The latest is last year’s Gold Coast award winner Brent Sass.
