Iditarod Begins Today

Today the Iditarod begins in Anchorage and will finish when the last mushers reach Nome. Last year’s winner came in on March 18 at 11:38 in the morning which means there is a good chance I will see the arrival of this year’s winner. The current standings for the 2009 Iditarod revealed that Lance Mackey of Fairbanks, Alaska won the 2009 Iditarod for the third consecutive year. Sebastian Schnuelle of Whitehorse, Canada came in second in the 2009 race. John Baker of Kotzebue, Alaska came in third in the 2009 race. The musher listing for 2010 shows that all three are racing again this year. It seems prudent to be familiar with the faces of the likely winners given that I’ll be serving the mushers in some way while in Nome.



Dear God, I pray these men would see you in the trail marked for their journey, in the beauty of your white world, in the loyalty of their dogs, in the cheers of the people, and in me as I welcome them to Nome. Show up today as they depart and give them an endurance for this race that they’ve never known before. Finally, I pray that they would acknowledge you in all these things. Amen.