Lance Mackey—The Champ is back in Town by Joe Runyan I find Lance Mackey, the 4X Iditarod Champ, back in town. Just off a third place finish in the Yukon Quest, a thousand mile run from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, left the veteran and team toughened for the Iditarod. I caught Lance and his wife Tonya …
2011 Champ John Baker—Final team Choices to travel with Snickers and Velvet—Tuesday, March 28 by Joe Runyan By Joe Runyan, 1989 Champ Background John Baker of Kotzebue, Alaska dominated the 2011 Iditarod with a strategy of prudent runs in the first half of the race that put his team of steady trotters into position to …
Part II, Dave Olson, 2012 Honorary Musher, recounts busting out the Iditarod Trail with Joe Redington, Sr., By Joe Runyan, 1989 Iditarod Champ Background: I called Dave at 7AM, still not sure if I would catch him indoors. Knowing he had innumerable stories of busting out the Iditarod trail in the early 1970’s, I wanted …
Part I: The Inside Story on Dave Olson, 2012 Honorary Musher Dave Olson of Knik, Alaska was named this year’s 2012 Honorary Iditarod Musher, a recognition that his large following of friends and Iditarod fans felt was long overdue. Dave Olson, not only a veteran musher and four time Iditarod finisher, is one of Iditarod’s …
