Bicknell takes home Red Lantern in 2008 Iditarod
Originally published Monday, March 17, 2008 at 8:57 p.m.
Updated Monday, March 17, 2008 at 9:44 p.m.
The last musher in the 2008 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has finished under the burled arch on Nome's Front Street.
Deborah Bicknell, 62 of Auke Bay, left the final checkpoint of Safety at 5:17 p.m. Monday with eight dogs for the 22-mile run into Nome. She crossed the finish line Monday evening at 8:36 p.m. Alaska time in 78th and final place.
Bicknell's appearance in Nome brings an end to this year's Iditarod, which saw a record 95 mushers leave the official restart in Willow.
Bicknell, an Iditarod rookie from Auke Bay in Southeast Alaska, is one of only two mushers to receive the red lantern — dog mushing's award for the last place finisher in a race — in both the Iditarod and Alaska's other long-distance sled dog event, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Bicknell finished last in the Yukon Quest in 2000, finishing 21st. The only other person to finish last in both races is Brian O'Donoghue, a Fairbanks resident who finished last in the Iditarod in 1991 and last in the Yukon Quest in 1998.
Earlier Monday, Fairbanks musher Molly Yazwinski scratched at the White Mountain checkpoint. She had been running at the back of the pack at the time in the company of Bicknell and one other musher.
The timed portion of this year's Iditarod began March 2. Lance Mackey of Fairbanks won the race with a time of nine days, 11 hours, 46 minutes and 48 seconds. He is the first musher to win the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod in the same year, in 2007. He repeated the feat this year, for wins in four straight 1,000 mile sled dog races.
Comments
Congratulations to all the dogs, mushers and race volunteers. Job well done.
Congratulations, Deborah! It's GREAT to see your wonderful smile under the Burled Arch! You go, girl!
Great Job! I grew up in Alaska and now live in CT which I pray one day I will be back to AK to stay. I look forward to the dog sledding events every year - MOST OF ALL THE IDITAROD!!!!!! Everyone jokes to me and calls it "My Super Bowl" ...... like everyone down here watches the football-Super Bowl. I tell everyone don't call me during the time I will be catching up on the Iditarod!!Hats off to all the people and my favorite.....the dog's who "make my year" every year!
Congratulations!
Tari
inspiring woman!!
auke bay!?!? i can picture her training for the iditarod now.... the dogs are all wearing juneau slippers and the sled, instead of having runners, rides along on water skis.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.