Mackey Wins Quest by a Close 15mins. Over Anderson

As the bobbing light of a headlamp came around the corner on First Avenue in Whitehorse approaching the Yukon Quest Finish Chute, the enthusiastic crowd of almost five hundred well wishers held their breath – was it Lance? Was it Ken? Earlier this afternoon, Lance Mackey had left the last Checkpoint in Braeburn 19 minutes before rival Ken Anderson and reports along the trail to Whitehorse had placed the two mushers eight minutes apart at one stage. Mackey glides over the Finish Line.All evening the excitement was palpable as it was truly anybody’s race. That bobbing light was Lance Mackey – who at 1:23 a.m. crossed the Finish line and made history with his fourth consecutive Yukon Quest victory. “It feels better because it was so challenging, it feels nice,” said Mackey when asked about win number four. “I’m really impressed with my team, they were up for anything you threw at them.” “Hats off to Ken too,” continued Mackey as he snacked his dogs. “He really kept me on my toes.” Ken Anderson glided in to the Finish Chute a mere 15 minutes after Mackey, who was the first person to approach and congratulate Anderson. “Great race,” said Lance. “Yeah, you too,” replied Ken. Mackey was the first to congratulate Anderson.“Almost everything went how I planned,” said the soft-spoken Anderson. “This was probably the best race I’ve ever had.” When asked if he’d do it again Anderson replied that he’d had fun and would like to run the Yukon Quest again. Anderson takes questions from reporters.Both mushers will now rest in Whitehorse through Saturday to attend the Yukon Quest Meet the Mushers event and the Finish and Awards Banquet. They will then make their way to attend the Iditarod veterinary check next Tuesday. A tight race for third place in the Yukon Quest is still on in Braeburn. David Dalton and Michelle Phillips are set to leave the checkpoint following their mandatory eight-hour layover at 9:15 a.m. and 9:42 a.m. respectively. For an excellent account of the race from the ground and air, check out Ken Anderson and Gwenn Holdmann’s website at: www.windycreekkennel.comMore news, photos and audio reports: http://www.kuac.org/08yukon.html www.newsminer.com