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Lance Mackey passed under the archway in Nome at 3:38:46 PM, EDT, today and became only the third person in the history of The Last Great Race on Earth to win in three consecutive years. The other two are: Doug Swingley (1999-2001) and the late Susan Butcher (1986-1988). I was fortunate to be able to watch a one half hour live feed of today's finish, courtesy of the ITC Insider subscription I purchased when I returned from Anchorage. Right after the finish, Lance (after kissing his wife Tonya) took phone calls from his father (1978 Iditarod Champion, Dick) and from Governor Sarah Palin, but only after looking after the needs of his beloved dogs. He then accepted the $69,000 check from the representative of Wells Fargo and the new truck from the owner of Anchorage Chrysler Dodge.
Here's the GPS Tracker information on Nome:
Finish - Nome
Course Distance 936 Mi
Latitude N 64°29.784'
Longitude W 165°23.983'
Population 3576 -- The end of the Iditarod Trail! Prospectors established this Seward Peninsula city as Anvil City after adjacent Anvil Creek in 1898. A year later gold was discovered in beach sand and it became a boom town, home of 30,000 gold seekers. The city was renamed Nome in 1899 after a nearby point on Norton Sound, which got its name in 1853 when a British Navy cartographer misinterpreted a chart notation of .? Name. and recorded it as Nome. The gold rush atmosphere still abounds, especially when "Iditarod Fever" hits town with the entire community turning out to welcome the mushers and visitors alike to their community.
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Mackey's two closest competitors (now racing for second place): Sebastian Schnuelle and John Baker have left White Mountain, but are still hours away from Nome. A group of 13 mushers, including four time champion Jeff King and Martin Buser, were holed up until a little while ago at checkpoint Shaktoolik due to 40 mph headwinds and wind chilled temperatures more than 50 degrees below zero. Others were waiting out Mother Nature at the Elim checkpoint.
If Lance Mackey does not win the ESPY Award for Best Outdoor Athlete this year, they should discontinue the award.
