Had time last night to review the Blog, and noticed that I did not give enough attention to one of the real heroes of the 2009 Iditarod: John Baker. He ran a heck of a race, and just seems to be one of those guys who labors in obscurity for some unknown reason. Unsung heroes, I'm sure, are rewarded in another life, but this post is to celebrate one of those previously unsung guys: John Baker - a paradigm of Alaska men.
The following is from the Iditarod Trail Committee:
Baker Reaches Nome in 3rd Place
Date: March 18, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Veteran Iditarod Musher John Baker, (Bib # 44) arrived in Nome Alaska at 8:18:51 pm (Alaska Time) completing his 13th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Kotzebue Alaska musher has now been in the top ten for his tenth year. His 3rd place finish netted him $55,000. Baker arrived in Nome with 9 dogs.
John Baker, 46, was born and raised in Kotzebue, Alaska. He ran his first Iditarod in 1996. Baker is self-employed and enjoys the rural Alaska life with his wife, Iva, son, Alex, 20, a veteran of the Jr. Iditarod, and daughter, Tahayla, 6. A commercial pilot, he says his hobby is flying.
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That's John's daughter, Tahayla, with him at the finish in Nome on Thursday.
