[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2110-S2111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO LANCE MACKEY

  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

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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.

                          ____________________