When will 35th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race end?
Leader Lance Mackey of Fairbanks checked into Elim at 5:55 p.m. and left at 6:01 p.m. Monday. Last year, champion Jeff King arrived in Elim at 10:15 p.m. Monday and left at 10:23. That puts this year’s leader more than four hours ahead of last year’s pace when King crossed the finish line shortly after midnight early Wednesday morning. If Mackey’s pace holds up, this year’s race should finish before 7 p.m. During the last five Iditarods, average time from Elim to White Mountain was 6:17 — the slowest, 7:17. If Mackey matches the average, it will put him in White Mountain at 12:18 a.m. today. There he will take a mandatory eight-hour rest, putting him back on the trail around 8:20 a.m. The average time over the last five years of the final stretch run from White Mountain to the finish line was 10:18 (the fastest was 8:57, the slowest, 11:47). If Mackey matches the average — and the other assumptions hold true — he’ll cross under the burled arch before 7 p.m. Iditarod 35 has its first
