above: Tollef Monson arrives as the last member of this year’s top tenÂ
Lance Mackey claiming his first Iditarod championship last night doesn’t put an end to this year’s epic race. So often in the media news outlets will say that “The Iditarod Ended” when the first place musher arrives into Nome. Anyone familiar with the race would know how incorrect that statement is. The goal for 70% of those mushers isn’t to finish first, its to complete the race, finish with a strong & healthy team, and to place as high as possible. After Lance arrived this year, there were still 59 other mushers waiting for the moment when they can pass under the burled arch in Nome.
Lance, really did change the face of the Iditarod with a win this year. He proved that it a musher could not only be a fierce competitor in both the Yukon Quest & the Iditarod in the same year, but you could win both as well. He also brought a new era of Iditarod Champions into the race, and he proved that the race doesn’t belong to long time veterans like Jeff King, MartinBuser, Doug Swingley, or even Mitch Seavey. All of these mushers have run the race for years and many thought that they owned the race. Mackey is just one of a handful of contestants who have entered the Iditarod arena for the 5th or 6th time, each time showing the strength of their team. This year’s 3rd place finisher 33 year old Zach Steer represents that same new school way of thinking. Zach, in his 3rd Iditarod finish ever beat out two 4-time Iditarod champions, a 5 time champion, a two time Norwegian champion and dozens of other extremely talented teams.
Paul Gebhardt arrived into Nome two and a half hours after Lance at 10:28pm, Steer came in next at 3:46am, Buser at 4:07am, and Jeff King arrived at 6:07am. Ed Iten, Ken Anderson, John Baker, Mitch Seavey, and Tollef Monson round out the top 10.
This really was one of the more competitive and surprising Iditarods in history, and it will be exciting to hear all the stories at the Musher’s Banquet on Sunday. I’ll be in Nome until then and will keep heading down to the finish line chute to talk to mushers as they arrive. I also hope to give you a taste of Nome in some videos and articles over the next few days!
AND on that note, I hope to do a few more podcasts now that I’m done traveling, and plan on recording one tomorrow afternoon. I need you to call our toll free number (866-731-6332) with your thoughts and reactions on Lance’s victory, the top ten, and the mushers still out there. All calls used in our podcast will be entered to win a Nome/Iditarod prize pack……and amoung other things will include a Lance Mackey 2007 championship dog bootie from Unalakleet!
hi josh.
lance has not only won the iditarod with a team of quest winners on his team, he has also heralded a new era in long distance mushing!
he has given all the others permission to do the same, to win two long distance races back to back in the same year.
when the 4 minute mile was broken by Roger Bannister on May 6th 1954, the record was broken a number of times realatively quickly succesion afterwards by other runners. lance has just done the same, he’s given others permission to succed.
i guess as jeff king and martin buser have handed over the baton to a new champion, lance mackey and also to the young guns. jeff and martin may still have a grip on that baton in the future but for now its in the hands of the new hero of long distance mushing.
i wonder if now we will, over the next few years, see it being done again. if not by lance then maybe one of the others who finished high in the placings this year, who also ran the quest and iditarod back to back, with the same team.
Lance has made history and will not only be remembered in years to come as the winner of iditarod 35 and the yukon quest 2007 seporatly, but the FIRST person ever to win them back to back in the same year!!
Lance also showed humor through out the race with both fans, other mushers, the media and with his dogs. he has shown care towards his dogs that are second to none and its is amazing that so many of his quest finishers are now iditarod finishers in the same team in this year. seeing him praising the dogs and the way he is around them is fantastic, you can tell there is 100% trust in each other, not just a musher and his team, but friends, buddies, collegues and team mates, all working together as one unit with a strong connection and knowledge that they will both respect each other, the magic that cannot be defined.
i think that mushing has a new hero, but 17 new champions!!!
Left by matt hhammersley on March 14th, 2007