....and you thot you missed the top 20 joined in progress

[SamAtUnk]

Jim Lanier 20th he sings a song to those have left us
Aaron Burmeister 19th can't beat Jim. Thanks sponsors individually. thanks benedict beinsh his puppy dog runner, thanks wife. Announces he and wife will get a baby boy due in July. Announces his leaders
missed musher 18 very short
17th musher Ed Iten good to be back in Nome, thanks ckpts, volunteers, vets, wife ruth, children and sponsors. ill be back next year thank you
16th musher Gary Willomitzer thanks sponsors, handlers, out of state out of country thanks the Redington family. nice 24 hour.
15th musher dee dee jonrowe. thank you very much. i didn't realize what the month of march. i love my competition. congrats lance, great to see ingenuity. thanks ladies for making kuspuk. dean osmar loaned dogs. im eating sushi (crab and shrimp). grateful for home sponsors

[SamAtUnk]

lost some of my typing rick swenson thanks everyone including wife kelly admired dogs that she used last year and it helped me this year. thank everyone for being patient. thanks everyone on the trail for making him feel like a champion

Jessie Royer thanked her best dad ever for being there

[SamAtUnk]

12th place cim? smith grueling race, i ll see you next year
11th place zack steer happy to be in nome would thank sponsors but i don't have any. thanks wife, volunteers, guys along trail who made them feel welcom
10th place arrived in nome with a very geriatric team winner.....correction.....laughter...more laughter,,,,sebastian shnuelle. loud applause. can't understand him. happy to be in tenth. good to be back. a very popular musher. average age in human years was 56 years old were the dogs
9th ketil backen. applause thank you to wife, vet, house sponsor
8th paul gebhardt applause. showing up later than usual including late for the half way point but i wasn't late enough so i waited for dee dee. thanks wife and her internet updates. thanks aly for calling him a hunk at the beginning of the race, made my wife hold on to me. field was phenominal...great race congrats finishers, lance i don't know if i live to see what you have done in the last couple years. thanks his team for returning in style take another shot next year

[SamAtUnk]

7th mitch seavey thanks wife, kids, handler, sponsors, volunteer board of directors for increased purse. thanks nine dog who completed the race, when he saw jeff and lance, he didn't have very many harnesses to answer,,,,thanks individual dogs peyton and lena, who inspired him.

6th hans gatt thanks host family. 98 was first year, so its his tenth year of mushing. dogs carried him. thanks sponsors. im a sled maker. used one sled for training. he used a conventional sled for the race. i would like for someone to try my training sled.

5th place Martin Buser applause....best iditarods i have ever had. 25th anniversary with his son .....emotional time.....goood experience for family. accepted to rpi, to pay tuition i have to come back... gps story he thot it was funny to have the gps go for a spin. in koyuk, he told the checker she was efficient and he thot martin said to bring him some tissue and its not the racers that get tired but it includes the volunteers.

[SamAtUnk]

fourth place ken anderson thank you make it short sponsors, has buddy streepers dog, than ks his wife for race updates see you next year

third place ramey smyth- thanks sponsors, its a team effort to place, thanks home sponsors, volunteers, wife, daughter..competitors for comaderie on the trail, thank dogs leader babe loud applause who had just won an award-he has helped me pay the mortgage and the bills (dog won lolly medley golden harness award good companion is that dog...applause. note lolly is his late mother award meant more to him than winning the iditarod if he ever does

[SamAtUnk]

second place jeff king...this iditarod has a lot of bests best ceremonial, best restart, best trail, lot of work done on the trail and they did there job this year. volunteers, vet help, competition was the best. what can i share that is entertaining. phone conversation in Unk....best team ever to his wife, said to his wife about lance...i wish he would just go away.....and eventually he did.. howe ver that was not what i had in mind. book signing the other day.....someone made me write you snooze you lose....hmmmmm.....laughter fabolous race a dog team that responded., a perfect race...snoooze in elim i can't change. thanks sponsors, crew david jennifer etc., wife donna, three daughters went to puerto vallarta watched the finish on the beach. better sure i have a couple left in me so don't get relaxed

[SamAtUnk]

First place winner Lance Mackey- lauren prosser presenting sponsor. llance has brought new meaning of back to back....winning two d1000 mile races back to back two years in the row,,,,now the incredible Lance Mackey this years champion. Wells fargo presents 1st place prize and all of what they do. lance thanks wells fargo. amazing i am at a loss of words beautiful dogs wasn't exactly a good race if fact i was considering going home for the dogs sake. i was thinking of going to nome to run for mayor (says i jokes) thanks sponsors, wife, handlers, dogs are my children, stepson cain is my son who place second in jr iditarod, without help of fans, we wouldn't be here. very emotional is lance. good sled made it an easier year with a functioning sled. thanks for words of support from fans. discovery channel is going to make us famous, tracking devices are gonna make us famous and maybe rich. volunteer to do it again. thanks host family. lance says host family never seen him drive a car, but thanks for loaning me a car. robert sorlie caught his eye on race strategy, and he uses military train of thought- teaching his dogs what they should consider normal and expecting it of them. embarassing at times of team departures but at the end of the race the tug line was tight and he is most proud of that. look forward to seeing jeff king in the all alaska sweeps. glad to see dodge truck at finish line. in writing a book, he is only in chapter 2 and there is a lot of lance left in coming years. see you at the quest and the iditarod next year.

[SamAtUnk]

post
Lance mackey poses with crowd and reporters
mackey lead dogs have pictures taken larry and handsome
relatively young kennel, remarkable accomplishments
banquet is drawing to its conclusion organizers tried to keep it short and sweet
and most banquets guests were able to see some of the presentations before they go home to put their children to bed

with that good night presentations concluded

[Di*]

Once again Sam you've come to our rescue!! Wonderful play by play, felt like I was there! Thanks so much for not forgetting us back here on the forum.
YOU ROCK SAM!

[braider]

Thank you kindly for the report, Sam. ...Dave