audio by Laureli Kinneen; text and photos by David Dodman
This wasn’t Lance Mackey’s year to win the Iditarod, but after four championships in a row, the mushing “rock star” says he has “no complaints.” “I wasn’t even supposed to win one (Iditarod), let alone four.”
In fact, the trail conditions were so good this year that, Mackey says, “if anybody has any complaints, they need to keep it to themselves.”
Mackey was in high spirits when he pulled under the Burled Arch on Wednesday morning, finishing in 16th place.
His final push to Nome likely helped his mood: he bested Ken Anderson for the fastest Safety-to-Nome run in Iditarod 2011. Mackey will take home a $500 award from the Nome Kennel Club at Sunday’s Iditarod banquet: not bad, considering that, as Mackey concedes, his paycheck will be smaller this year.
Here’s our live coverage of Mackey’s finish. Don’t miss the photos, below!
