Alaska native John Baker wins his first Iditarod and sets new race record
With 10 dogs in harness, musher John Baker passed under the burled arch that marks the finish line in Nome, Alaska, at 9:46 a.m. Tuesday to win the 39th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Covering the 1,131 miles of the Southern Route in 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes and 39 seconds, the native Alaskan from Kotzebue has set a race record, besting the time set in 2002 by Martin Buser by about three hours.
"I feel good. Real good," Baker, 48, told the Anchorage Daily News at the finish line. "Running a team like this, there's nothing better. They are willing to climb any obstacle and make the most of it. I'm really proud of them."
Instead of the head-to-head finish anticipated against Ramey Smyth, who had been in seemingly close pursuit leaving recent checkpoints, Baker pulled away from the Willow, Alaska, musher Tuesday morning, thereby eliminating any chance of Smyth overtaking him. Smyth crossed the finish line in second place 64 minutes later, also under Buser's previous record time.
Baker's victory also ended Lance Mackey's Iditarod consecutive win streak at four, though the Fairbanks musher admitted Sunday that he wouldn't win this year. Mackey is currently listed as running in 16th place with seven dogs still in harness.
Once the last musher is off the trail -- a spot currently held by rookie Kris Hoffman -- the Widow's Lamp hanging from the burled arch will be extinguished, marking the end of the 2011 Iditarod.
-- Kelly Burgess
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Photo: Musher John Baker pets his lead dogs Snickers, left, and Velvet after winning the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, also setting a race record. Credit: Bob Hallinen / Anchorage Daily News
Sled dogs love to run. No one can make them run. Yes, they will just stop if they do not want to run. They live to run and pull. Yes, they do get injuries just like any ultra athlete does. The truth is that mushers love their dogs and treat them with utmost respect. Mushers do not make much money by any means, many make no money at all but just want the experience to be with their much loved working dogs. A lot of time and energy is spent on their dogs with no "glory and money" in return. What I think is inhumane are the people not exercising their pets, letting them become obese, feeding them cheap dog food and ignoring them.
Posted by: Evie | March 16, 2011 at 08:13 PM
Another Kool-Aid Drinker spewing hate speech. REMEMBER - The founder of PETA said in an interview in regards to animal testing that she and her allies would be against any harm to an animal even if it saved one human life. Lucy and her ilk are prey, not predators and try to use guilt & shame as a weapon. She obviously does not understand the bond between a dog owner and his companion. The unconditional LOVE the two species can have, I guess Lucy & PETA would be against Noah using animals to build an Ark to save their lives from a great flood...Congratulations are in order to John and all the mushers to show how Human & Animal can work together to over come the elements. Bravo and look forward to another 39 year tradition.
Posted by: Popeye The Sailor | March 16, 2011 at 11:01 AM
The Iditarod routinely kills young, healthy dogs and it has to stop. Six dogs died in 2009, bringing the total known to 142. The dog deaths average nearly 4 a year. Two dogs died in this year’s Yukon Quest. My family and I cannot accept one dog dying as a tradeoff for the glory and money the mushers get in a once-a-year, brutal race.
The distance is too long, and the conditions and terrain too grueling for the dogs. They are among the best-conditioned dogs in the world due to their training year-round, yet only about half of the dogs make it to the finish line. They are dropped due to injury, illness, or exhaustion. One musher of the 14 who are out of the race so far was running with only half of the 16 dogs she started with. Another scratched after one of her dogs collapsed while running. Most scratched “based on the best interest of” their dogs, which tells me that they cannot make it.
There are laws in at least 38 states against over-driving and over-working animals, which is exactly what the Iditarod does. The Alaska cruelty statue that would apply to the sled dogs was changed in 2008 to exempt them.
When the dogs are not racing or training they are each kept on a short chain, attached to their small enclosure. This is considered inhumane and illegal in many communities.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, In Defense of Animals, PETA, and Sled Dog Action Coalition want this race to end. People concerned about animals should boycott this cruel race and contact the sponsors to end their support of it.
Posted by: Lucy Shelton | March 15, 2011 at 07:09 PM