Special Thank you!

A very special thank you goes out to Jan & Walt Tremer for their sponsorship of the 2010 Iditarod entry fee. Jan and Walt started out as our Idita-riders and have grown to be a wonderfully important part of the "Mackey Team" and family.

Another big thank you goes to the Advanced Medical Center of Alaska, Art & Nancy Cross for sponsoring the 2010 Yukon Quest entry fee. They have also become part of "Mackey Team", helping with building dog boxes, taking care of medical needs, to drawing all those beautiful sketches of our dogs that you've seen for sale on our web site.

Having the entry fees crossed off our list is one less worry for us, it is a tremendous help and appreciated beyond words. Thank you.

Triple Champions at Iditarod Volunteer Picnic

Lance Drops in at 5th Avenue Mall!

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - MAY 19, 209

Enjoying a little "relax time" in Barbados!


Tonya enjoying a cold drink & a walk in the garden.
Ahhhh.....those cold winter mornings just fade away!

On Monday May 18th KNBA radio will have Lance Mackey, and Sebastian Schnuelle in the studio and “on the air” from 700am to 900am.  KNBA are then hosting a “meet and greet” the mushers in our first floor conference room from 900 to 1100am.  KNBA would love to invite all the Junior Iditarod Mushers and the Iditarod Mushers to this Meet and Greet event.

Artist Rendition

Alaska Mint Strikes Coin for Mackey!
The Alaska Mint has designed the 2009 Iditarod coin with Lance Mackey and his two lead dogs, "Maple" and "Larry" under the burled arch. On the flip side of each coin, it reads "Dreams do come true" .

Available in bronze, silver and 24kt gold relief. You can pre-order yours now at Alaska Mint or through the Mackey Merchandise web page ..

Lance enjoys a little Pennsylvania hospitality - by Walt Tremer
The happy howls of sled dogs, the 90 below wind chill off Norton Sound, and the deep love for Larry his lead dog all came alive this week as Lance Mackey, three time champion of the Iditarod, spun his incredible tales from this year's dog sled race across Alaska.

Students, mushers and mushing fans took a ride in Lance's sled as he lead his team from Anchorage to Nome, through some of the harshest and most challenging environments on earth.
In winning the Iditarod the last three years, and also the Yukon Quest two of those three years, Lance has climbed to the pinnacle of the mushing world. His incredible dogs team, and Lance's training has changed the mushing world forever, as other mushers try to challenge his amazing achievements.
The first checkpoint stop along Lance's Lehigh Valley trail (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton) was the Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink, site of the annual "Idita-Skate", a fundraiser for Lance's dogs. In relating their fun in skating "Laps for Lance", the skaters and the champion talked about the challenge and passionate commitment of athletic achievement.

The second checkpoint on Lance's trail was Spring Garden Elementary School in Bethlehem. Lance held spellbound each class of students who had studied the Iditarod, with his stories of the trail, his loving relationship to his dogs, and the challenge of this year's brutal weather along the trail. Endless photos were taken and numerous autographs were carried home, clutched in the small hands of students who swore they were going to be a musher "just like Lance" when they grew up!

The morning presentation was interrupted by a planned surprise - the mayor of Bethlehem arrived and presented Lance with an official proclamation stating that the day was "Lance Mackey Day" in the city.
Lance told all the students to bring their dogs to school next year on "his day"!

The third of Lance's checkpoints consisted of a "Meet and Greet" with gifted students of Southern Lehigh School District, where the students had a chance to informally sit and chat with the champion.

Following this hour, nearly three hundred people came to the auditorium to hear Lance present "The Champion's View Of The Iditarod". Lance talked about the challenge of the trail, the equipment necessary for the brutal cold, and of his love of his dogs. He gave an exciting recreation of his encounter with a moose during the Ceremonial Start, and brought the crowd to near tears with his emotional descriptions of Larry, his famed lead dog and his new lead Maple. Lance swelled with pride each time he spoke of his son Cain, who won this year's Junior Iditarod. Each fan went away with a personalized autographed picture of Lance and a picture taken with the "World's Toughest Athlete".

The next day found Lance at his fourth scheduled checkpoint, the Nitschman Middle School in Bethlehem. A gymnasium full of fascinated students met him, and hung on every word about mushing and the Iditarod. Lance followed the presentation with a visit to the "Sequoia Program" a unique academic group in the school.

That afternoon, Lance celebrated the end of his trail schedule with a visit to the local Harley-Davidson showroom, where he eyed some vehicles a little faster than his dogs, and bought biker gifts for his family.

Pennsylvania is not exactly the mushing capital of the world.... But Lance and his magical visit has created a area of diehard Iditarod and mushing fans in the Lehigh Valley, and people asking "Where can we find a flight to Nome? I want to be there when Lance makes it his fourth in a row. "

Mackey's go shopping for a new Dodge pick-up truck!
The Mackey's headed to Anchorage to pick out Lance's newly won Dodge pick up truck. Lance won the vechicle for being the first to cross the finish line in the 2009 Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

The truck is one of several offered by Ron Udd, of Anchorage Chrysler Dodge for Iditarod to give away as prizes each year.

Lance and his wife Tonya shopped around the Dodge lot looking at all the options and packages Dodge offers and decided on a black, diesel, one ton, long bed pickup with a remote start for those cold Alaska winters.

No doubt destined to be the new truck hauling those champions dogs around the state.

Sandee Alto, left, and her mother, Phyllis Nelson, a longtime North Bend resident, pose in this undated photo. Alto gave a necklace and rosary belonging to her late mother to Lance Mackey to carry through the Iditarod. Contributed photo.

Senator Murkowski Congratulates Lance Mackey and his Team on Winning Iditarod

2009 Iditarod - Humanitarian Award
Lance receives the Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award which is based on specific criteria to determine who has best demonstrated outstanding dog care through out the Race while remaining competitive. The 2009 recipient was 3 time Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey. Lance received a lead crystal cup on an illuminated wooden base and two free round trip tickets to anywhere on the Alaska Airlines system.

This award is given by the race veternarians. Chief veternarian, Stu Nelson said "the 2009 Iditarod had brutal winds, severe cold ...it was tough. It takes exceptional care to make it through a race like this years Iditarod. In honor of Seppala, a pioneer of great dog care, including pre-race we award Lance Mackey the 2009 Humanitarian Award."

Lance accepts the award with tears welling in his eyes and visibly very emotional. He said "I was thinking about this when I reached Nome and the dogs were streaming up to the finish line with power like I’ve never seen. I have 15 dogs who speak for themselves on their greatness. I had virtually no dog problems this year, even up to Unalakleet, I could have written a book on last years problems, but this year was amazing. In Unalakleet the vets said the only problem they could see in my team was long toenails on one of my dogs...are you kidding me? My toenails are probably longer than theirs. All I can say is, I’m proud of my dogs. They deserve this.