[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 49 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S2228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATING LANCE MACKEY

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, today I congratulate Lance 
Mackey, of Fairbanks, AK, on achieving the incredible feat of twice 
winning the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest Sled Dog 
Race--two 1,000-mile races--in the same year. Last year, Lance became 
the first musher ever to win both races in the same calendar year. An 
achievement, which was previously labeled impossible, has for the 
second consecutive year been accomplished by Lance Mackey and his team.
  For those who are unfamiliar with either the Iditarod or the Yukon 
Quest, these races are the world's two longest dogsled races. Both 
races, which span over 1,000 miles of rigid mountains, frozen tundra, 
and dense forests, are true tests of determination and dedication. Not 
only does the rugged terrain pose a huge challenge, but so does the 
weather, which frequently drops to 30 or 40 degrees below zero, and the 
wind, which can gust up to 100 miles per hour.
  The annual Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race is a 1,000-mile international 
trek from Fairbanks, AK, to Whitehorse, Canada. Lance Mackey and his 
team of canine athletes crossed this great distance in 10 days, 12 
hours, and 14 minutes, claiming victory for the fourth year in a row.
  Only 11 days after his Yukon Quest victory, Lance and six of his dogs 
that competed in the Yukon Quest joined seven of his other dogs and 
began the 1,100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race. This race, which starts in 
Willow, AK, and ends in Nome, AK, commemorates the 1925 diphtheria 
serum relay run where dogsled teams had to pass along a vaccine from 
Anchorage to Nome in order to save countless lives. The Iditarod race 
is no longer run as a relay but is a race completed by individual 
dogsled teams.
  The 1,100-mile journey travels primarily through the great Alaskan 
wilderness. Throughout this year's Iditarod, Lance Mackey was 
challenged by not only the weather and terrain but also by other 
extraordinary mushers such as the 2006 Iditarod winner, Jeff King, and 
other previous winners of this great race. On the morning of March 12, 
2008, thousands gathered at the famous burled wood arch on Front Street 
in Nome, AK, to cheer on Lance Mackey, as he sledded to back-to-back 
wins at the Iditarod, beating the odds as well as the extremely 
competitive international field. Lance Mackey and his team of canines 
completed the race in 9 days, 11 hours, and 46 minutes, beating four-
time Iditarod champion Jeff King by 1 hour and 19 minutes.
  For the past few years, Lance has shown a mastery of working with and 
training canine athletes for the sport of dog mushing. As the Anchorage 
Daily News aptly stated:

       A musher doesn't win four straight, 1,000 mile Yukon Quests 
     and two straight Iditarods by making dogs run. He wins by 
     making dogs want to run.

  Lance Mackey continues to impress all of us with his remarkable 
achievements and record-setting performances. It is my honor to stand 
before this body today to congratulate Lance Mackey and his team of 
amazing dogs. Lance is a world-class dog musher and a true Alaskan 
hero, and I wish him and his team all the success in the 
future.

                          ____________________