To the sound of Native drums and chanting, 42-year-old John Baker from Kotzebue crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome, Alaska, with 10 dogs at 9:46 a.m. His winning time of 8 days, 18 hours, 46 minutes and 39 seconds shattered the previous record of 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds, set by Martin Buser in 2002.
Hundreds of people lined the finish chute to welcome Baker, including many Inupiaq from the coastal communities. Although an Inupiaq has never won the race before, three of the first four winners—Carl Huntington, Emmitt Peters and Gerald Riley—were Athabascan.
Former Winners Lance Mackey and Martin Buser Led 2011 Iditarod Early on
When the race began on March 6, many fans were looking for a fifth consecutive win from Lance Mackey. The reigning champ took the lead early in the race, but was plagued by dog problems and had to drop several of his veteran racers, including Maple, one of his lead dogs. (When mushers drop dogs, they leave the dogs at a checkpoint and are reunited later in Anchorage.)
At Nikolai, Martin Buser, another four-time champ, took the lead. The hard, fast trail favored Martin’s dogs, many of whom were bred from sprint dogs. Martin led for several checkpoints, but began slowing and needing more rest as the teams reached the Yukon River.
John Baker Takes the Lead on the Yukon, Lance Concedes the Race
Hugh Neff was the first to Anvik, gaining him a gourmet meal (in this case a breakfast) and an after dinner “mint” of $3500 in cash. Baker and Neff led the pack out of Grayling, the next checkpoint, with Lance still in pursuit. Baker rested only four hours in Eagle Island and took off again, gaining time on the trip into Kaltag. He led out of Kaltag. By now the chase pack consisted of Ramey Smyth, Sebastian Schnuelle, Hans Gatt and Hugh Neff.
At Kaltag, Mackey conceded the race. At this point, the six leaders were still very close, and it was anyone’s race. “It would be really greedy of me to think that I should have another perfect run,” Mackey said. “These are world class dog teams I am running against and every one of them deserves a victory. We’ve been lucky and now it’s someone else's turn. I’ll be the first to congratulate that winner as soon as I get there.”
Baker Greeted by Cheering Inupiaq from Unalakleet to the Coast
When Baker reached the inland town of Unalakleet, he was greeted by the sound of native drums, while villagers danced in his honor. Village Elder Sheldon Katchatag said, “John Baker, on behalf of the native village of Unalakleet and the Inupiaq all along the west coast of Alaska all the way to Greenland, I want to thank you for turning in such a stellar performance in this wonderful year 2011. God bless you.”
Baker continued to lead through the next checkpoints. At the village of Shaktoolik, he was greeted by Palmer Sagoonick, a long-time volunteer checker who has also raced the Iditarod. “I think that every Inpuiaq that ever was or ever will be is now riding in the sled,” he said. “What we see today is history in the making, and it’s something that we’re very proud of to be part of this heritage—especially with the dogs and what the dogs mean to us up here. This will be a time that none of us will forget, and I pray this will bond all of us together and make us a better people.”
John Baker Reaches Nome
Baker reached White Mountain 51 minutes ahead of Ramey Smyth. Normally, this would be considered a healthy lead, but Smyth is known for his fast times at the end of the race. He and his brother Cim Smyth exchange their boots for running shoes at Safety, the last checkpoint before Nome, and run with their dog teams, trying to win the Nome Kennel Club award for the best time from Safety to Nome. It was still anyone’s race.
“I didn’t figure I had the race for sure,” Baker said at the finish line. “I didn’t allow myself to think like that. I just needed to take care of my own business, take care of running the dogs, make sure that they could arrive here in the quickest possible way and being fair to them, not asking too much of them. If I could do that, then I didn’t feel we would have any problems, and that’s the way it worked out.”
Baker’s team actually gained time on Smyth from White Mountain to Nome, finishing one hour and four minutes ahead of Smyth. Baker was presented with $50,400 and a new truck for his win, and his two lead dogs, Velvet and Snickers, received wreaths of roses under the Burled Arch on Front Street in Nome.
Baker, age 48, has a long history with the Iditarod. This is his 16th time racing “the Great Race,” which covers a thousand miles through Alaska. He has finished in the top 10 a total of 11 times, including two third place finishes. He also has won the Kuskokwim 300 and for the past two years has won the Kobuk 440.
Winning the Iditarod is life-changing, Baker said. “We’re lucky when we’re able to do something good where we can share with other people what it feels like,” he said. He said he’s looking forward to getting home and being around his family and friends in western Alaska. “I know we wouldn’t have been successful without the help we get from people,” he said.
For information on the top ten finishers see 2011 Iditarod Results: First through Tenth Place Finishers.
For more information on the Iditarod, see the Official Iditarod Website. Quotes were taken from Iditarod Insider videos and the Anchorage Daily News.
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