Pet of the Week
These are two kitties that were saved, brought to a cat shelter, and adopted out to fine homes!
It's easy to get your pet into the Pet of the Week feature - here is what you need to do!
The Last Great Race on Earth: The Iditarod
The Iditarod is a race of over 1150 miles, from Anchorage in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast. Teams of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover miles of the most extreme terrain known to man.
Versus.com
If you have never watched or followed The Iditarod, be warned. You just might get hooked. There is something about this race that just can’t be duplicated in any other sport. Maybe it is the Alaska wilderness. Maybe it is the way the waiting crowds cheer just as much for the last musher as they do the first. Maybe it is the unbridled enthusiasm of each team of dogs. Whatever it is, once you watch the videos of this race, you will want to watch every year.
I can’t even imagine what it must be like to be all alone on the isolated landscape of an Alaska only other dogs and mushers have ever seen. To see that sky at night and to feel the rushing frozen air against your face as you push yourself further than you ever thought you could, must be the most exhilarating experience anyone could ever have.
To finish? A sense of accomplishment like no other. To win? What must it be like to win The Iditarod?
For two years in a row, Lance Mackey could tell us what it would be like. The first win, some thought was fluke but this year, Mackey proved that he and his team had the skill and fortitude to take this last great race, from start to finish, and be first in doing so.
NOME, ALASKA – (March 13, 2007)
Last year Lance Mackey proved the impossible is possible again. The Fairbanks Alaska musher is now in a league of his own. At 2:46 am Mackey (Bib #6) arrived on Front Street after a battle against Mother Nature and a huge field of ultra competitive athletes to claim the crown of Iditarod Champion for the second year in a row. He arrived in Nome with 11 dogs on his team taking 9 days, eleven hours, forty six minutes, forty eight seconds.
Mackey now has the distinction of being the only musher on the face of the planet to win back to back one thousand mile races (The Yukon Quest and The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race) two years in a row. Mackey set the pace in the 2008 Iditarod after taking his 24 hours in Takotna. From that point forward he kept his team together and in front of four time Iditarod Champion Jeff King.
Thousands of fans lined Front Street in Nome to get a glimpse of the 37 year old musher make Iditarod history in a big way for the second year in a row. Mackey was greeted by his family and friends. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stayed up late and called to congratulate Mackey. He returned the favor and congratulated the Governor on her soon to be “addition to the Palin Family.”
Presenting Sponsor Wells Fargo Representative Loren Prosser presented Mackey a check for $69,000. In addition, Mackey received the keys to a brand new Dodge Ram Pick Up Truck from Presenting Sponsor Anchorage Chrysler Dodge.
Iditarod Press Release
The race may be over, but your ability to check out the highlights isn’t. Versus.com, a sports network on the Internet will begin broadcasting tomorrow, Sunday March 16th, at 7pm EDT. The videos are free so check it out. These are one hour broadcasts and begin with the start of the March 1st start of the race.
The Iditarod Official Web Site
Versus.com Iditarod Race Coverage
Join! The Iditarod Insider – I have been a member for awhile now. This gives you full access to the Iditarod site, up to date information, and all the inside information. Join now and have access for the 2009 race!
