Jason Mackey into Nome

Twenty-Two seconds separated the Mackey brothers as they arrived in Nome this morning.  Their race was far from what they expected when they departed Fairbanks.  Lance ran into trouble in the severe cold.  With impaired circulation, his fingers had become frostbitten.  A few weeks earlier, he’d completed the Yukon Quest.  “Frigid” didn’t do justice in describing the temperatures musher experienced in that race.  Now in his second 1,000 mile race of the season cold had struck again.  

It began to dawn on Lance that long distance racing was taking it’s toll on his already fragile body.  In a video recording done by Iditarod Insider, Lance was very emotional at the thought of not being able to do the sport justice any longer.  He talked about how he loved the sport.  His brother, Jason, proved that blood runs thicker than water.  Jason put his own dreams aside for the 2015 race to help Lance make it through.  They made a deal, Jason would stick with Lance as long as Lance would show Jason how to come from behind.

When the brothers arrived in Nome this morning there was a very large crowd on hand to cheer them in.  Timing was perfect, just as they arrived, the annual finisher’s meeting adjourned for a break.  Mushers exited the Nome Nugget and went straight to the chute to offer support and congratulations through hugs and hand shakes.  It was a very touching emotional, almost reverent scene.  There’s no doubt that fellow mushers have a great deal of respect for both Lance and Jason.  They respect the only person to have won Iditarod four years running, they respect the guy who proved that running two 1,000 mile races was possible and that it could be done in a competitive fashion.  They respect the man who became his brother’s keeper.  No question the mushing community is inspired by the Mackey brothers.

Lance Mackey into Nome

Lance says he graduated from the school of hard knocks.  He’s made a couple of serious comebacks.  His father, Dick, won the Iditarod when Lance was seven.  From that moment on, Lance knew he wanted to run the Last Great Race.  He’s run the race 13 times since earning his finsher’s belt buckle in 2001.   He’s finished in the top ten 6 times and four of those were as Champion.  The best time Lance has recorded was in 2010, 8 days 23 hours and 59 minutes.  There are’t many Iditarod finishers that have broken the nine day barrier but Lance is one.

Jason has made the trip to Nome five times.  He comes from a family of champions and it’s his goal to become one.  Jason’s son, Patrick, is his righthand man in the kennel.  Jason finished twenty-two seconds ahead of Lance this morning in 42nd place.   The best time he’s recorded was as a rookie in 2004, 10 days 18 hours and 58 minutes.  Jason is hungry to continue building his team through the Mackey line of dogs and to attain the Championship that has thus far eluded him. 

There’s the story of how Dick Mackey bested Rick Swenson in 1978 by one second.  Dick was wearing bib #13 and it was his 6th race.  Older brother Rick also won Iditarod wearing bib #13 on his sixth attempt.  When it was Lance’s six race, he camped at Iditarod Headquarters for a week before signup so that he could be the first to sign up and then be the first to choose his bib number.  He choose #13 and the ritual carried on.  Lance won the first in his string of four.  2016 could be Jason’s 6th attempt.  With the way the bib draw is set up, it would be an incredible coincidence if Jason were to draw lucky number thirteen from the mukluk as his starting position but then stranger things have happened.