Lance Mackey arrived at the Braeburn checkpoint a slim 19 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor Ken Anderson. At Braeburn, they will take a mandatory 8 hour rest, then “sprint” into Whitehorse for the finish. It is an even 100 miles to Whitehorse, and my guess is neither of them will stop to rest, other than snacking on the trail. A betting man would have to put his money on Mackey at this point. He had 12 dogs in his team, compared to 9 in Andersons, when they arrived at this last checkpoint. Anderson, with plenty of race experience of his own, should not be ruled out however. He has run a very strategic race to this point, finding a way to keep up with the former 3X champion Mackey in a way no one has in this race. Will we see two mushers in Whitehorse on the street at the same time? Stay tuned. G.S.
