In news that was reported last week but almost certainly ignored because it a) happened all the way up in Alaska, b) focused on dog sledding and c) was a story about dog sledding in Alaska, the Iditarod announced that it will begin drug testing its mushers in 2010. Most have no problem with the new rules, but Lance Mackey, who has won the past three races, is none too pleased (because he likes the marijuana, you see).
Iditarod To Begin Drug Testing; Marijuana-Smoking, Three-Time Winner Not Happy
↵↵“I think it’s a little bit ridiculous,” Mackey said Wednesday night from his home near Fairbanks after a training run. “It is a dog race, not a human race. It (using a drug) doesn’t affect the outcome of the race.”
↵Mackey, a throat cancer survivor who has a medical marijuana card, admits to using marijuana on the trail and thinks his success has made some of his competitors jealous.
↵↵Mackey, whose sled is no doubt full of Doritos and Bagel Bites, added, “It isn’t the reason I’ve won three years in a row,” but concedes that marijuana “helps him stay awake and focused” throughout the 1,000-mile, 10-day race through Alaska’s wilderness.
↵He then asked, “What’s the deal with snow? It’s like, frozen water. But it’s not ice, ya know? ... Whoa.”
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