I know I used this photo before, but it's worth another posting. It shows graphically just how grueling the Iditarod race is, not only for the mushers, but also for the canine athletes. This post, though, is to record for all time the last finishers of the 2009 Iditarod: finishers 43 through 52. On Sunday, March 8, 2009, sixty-seven mushers and their teams left Willow headed for Nome, approximately 1,000 miles away using the southern route. Fifty-two mushers and teams made it to Nome; that's better than a 77 percent success rate. Only 15 mushers and teams abandoned the race for a variety of reasons. Here are the final finishers and their date of finish:
43. Jen Seavey March 22
44. Tom Thurston
45. Rachel Scdoris March 23
46. Tim Osmar
47. Wade Marrs
48. Trent Herbst
49. Michael Suprenant
50. Eric Rogers
51. Heather Siirtola March 24
52. Timothy Hunt
To say that I've become a fanatical fan of the Last Great Race on Earth would be an understatement. The Super Bowl, Final Four, World Series, and Stanley Cup will never again impress me as they once did. The Iditarod leaves them all in the dust when it comes to sheer excitement. The men and women who participate in this race are among the toughest people on earth. I am tempted to put them up there with Navy Seals, and that's a pretty high perch.
