On the recordMarch 25, 2010
I am excited today to congratulate Alaskan dog musher Lance Mackey and his team of dogs that carried him across the Iditarod finish line for a first-place finish in Nome, AK, at 6:59 p.m. on March 16, 2010. The Iditarod is known as the toughest race on Earth. The trail spans across a significant portion of Alaska, and is roughly 1,100 miles long. Mackey and his team rode into Nome just 51 seconds short of 9 days on the trail--this is the second fastest time in the 38-year history of the race. He crossed the finish line with 11 of the 16 dogs he started the race with--tired but still strong after the 1,000-mile journey. This victory landed Mackey his fourth win in a row--a title no Iditarod musher has claimed before. Mackey's trademark strategy of long runs and little or no rest has consistently landed him victories over the other faster dog teams competing against him. His lead dogs this year, or superstars as he calls them, are named Maple and Rev.
