Tribute To Lance Mackey

Floor Speech

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, 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. The race begins in Willow, AK, and mushers cross the finish line in Nome--a small community on the coast of Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. 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. Alaskans and fans of this great race are well aware that in order to race among the great dog mushers, a pair of lead dogs with endurance and good judgment is just as important as a strong musher. The Iditarod is not for the faint of heart--the trail is made up of some of the harshest terrain in North America and if the musher and his lead dogs are not in sync, there are about a million things that can go wrong. Mackey has
shown a true bond with his team of dogs year after year, and this race was no different.

Lance Mackey's story is not only amazing because of his determination and skill in the sport of dog mushing but his victories over personal life challenges which are also significant. He is a cancer survivor--a victory that preceded his success in the sport of dog mushing. Lance is a lifelong Alaskan and a friend to many. He married his high school sweetheart and they have four children together. His family cheered him on as he took first, and was by his side when he was diagnosed with throat cancer after finishing the 2001 Iditarod race, where he took 36th place. After that race, Lance did not give up. He had extensive surgery and radiation and competed again the very next year. Although he had to drop out of that race to take time off to recover from his cancer and the surgery, Mackey's dedication and love of the sport is clear. He is now cancer free.

Mackey went on to win the Yukon Quest several times, one of the two major sled dog races in Alaska. In 2007 and 2008, he won both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, two incredibly difficult races, with only a week and a half in between each race to rest before he moved on to the next event. For the first time in the history of the races, Lance had won both, and he did so 2 years in a row.

I would like to take a moment to highlight just how unique this sport is--not only to Alaska, but to America as well. The Iditarod and the Yukon Quest are the world's two longest sled dog races. Both races span over 1,000 miles of rugged mountains, frozen tundra, and dense forests. These races truly know how to test a man or woman's dedication and determination. Not only does the ruthless terrain of Alaska pose immense obstacles to the mushers, but weather can be a major deterrent. Temperatures on the trail during the race have dropped down to 30 below zero. I don't know how many Members in this Chamber have experienced 30 below zero weather, but I can assure you it is no cakewalk. When that wind kicks up, gusts can shoot down through valleys and across the tundra at 100 miles per hour. You can imagine what the wind chill factor is as you are racing a dog sled team across vast open spaces for 1,100 miles. To give you an idea of just how long this race truly is--the distance between this Chamber here in Washington and Miami, FL, would fall roughly 100 miles short of the length of the trail. And the Iditarod trail spans only a mere portion of our great State.

The Iditarod commemorates the diphtheria serum relay that took place in 1925. The diphtheria vaccine was needed in Nome to counteract an outbreak that was threatening the community. Alaskan mushers came together and ran a series of dog teams to Nome carrying the vaccine to save the lives of those who were infected. This story is treasured in Alaska and each year, during the Iditarod, we remember the true spirit of the Alaska Natives and early pioneers and the obstacles they faced and ultimately overcame.

Today, the Iditarod is no longer run as a relay, but it is a race of individual dog sled teams. The Alaskan wilderness the teams travel through is as exceptionally beautiful as it is difficult. Mackey said after his win that this was the most tiring race yet for his team, and also the toughest in terms of competition. Rookie musher Pat Moon crashed after hitting a tree and falling unconscious and Bruce Linton of Kasilof, AK, who is diabetic, reported that his insulin froze while mushing along the Yukon River. Sixteen of the original seventy-one mushers dropped from the race this year. Many dogs, including five from Mackey's team, were dropped from the race and sent to Anchorage to await their mushers to return. Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, Canada, also a Yukon Quest winner, trailed Lance Mackey by only an hour. He was followed by Jeff King, a four-time Iditarod winner.

Mackey says that what he does well is understand his team, allowing for calculated risks that can change a race in an instant. He said:

I don't think that I do anything with my running to jeopardize the dogs, or the future of the dogs. I gamble but I'm not going to win the Iditarod at the expense of my team.

Lance Mackey, like all mushers, cares deeply for the health and condition of their four-legged athletes. Last year the Anchorage Daily News stated while covering the race:

A musher doesn't win by making dogs run. He wins by making dogs want to run.

Lance describes working with his dogs this way:

The biggest challenge working with a large team of dogs is the individual personalities. Like a classroom full of kids, all with issues, wants, questions, some barking wildly to get my attention, and then there are some who just do what needs to be done and require only a nod or a smile. Every dog is different. Every need is different. That is what I love. The reward is seeing them all come together as a team working for a common goal.

I had the opportunity when I was up in the State for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod to go around and talk with the mushers and visit with the dogs. You can really tell how close the mushers are with their teams and when they come together as a team they can truly go the distance. We should acknowledge and respect them.

On Tuesday, March 16, thousands gathered at the famous burled wood arch on Front Street in Nome, AK, to cheer on Lance Mackey as his dogs carried him to victory over his talented competitors from all over the world. It is my honor today to stand before the Senate to congratulate Lance Mackey and his team, and to recognize this amazing race. The only one of its kind. Lance continues to be a world-class musher and a true Alaskan hero, along with his remarkable team. I join Alaskans in congratulating Lance Mackey on yet another Iditarod victory.

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