Iditarod 2011: Two-Man Race To Nome Between John Baker And Ramey Smyth

The 2011 Iditarod will come down to a two-man race between John Baker, a 48-year old who finished third in 2009, and Ramey Smyth (35), second runner-up in 2008. The two mushers are currently in White Mountain, waiting through the checkpoint’s mandatory eight-hour stop. When they get back on the trail (Baker can leave at 12:03 a.m. local time, 4:03 on the East Coast), Smyth will have to make up 51-minutes on Baker in the approximately 77 miles between White Mountain and the finish line in Nome.

And if Smyth is going to catch him, he’ll have to be extra quick: thanks to ideal weather conditions, Baker is threatening to set a new Iditarod trail record. Martin Buser currently owns the fastest time, making the run in 2002 in 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and 2 seconds.

Baker, a native of Kotzebue, a small town on the coast of Alaska’s Baldwin Peninsula 26 miles above the Arctic Circle, was greeted with a hometown hero’s welcome when he pulled into White Mountain.

Dozens of people were there cheering and waving welcome signs. Robert Lincoln, 31, of White Mountain, was among them. His sign read: Playmaker Baker.

“I’m happy that an Eskimo is in front,” Lincoln said.

The two-man dash means it is official: Lance Mackey will not win his fifth straight Iditarod, a feat no musher has ever accomplished (he currently sits in 16th place, with just eight dogs). The musher spoke about coming to grips with his 2011 performance.

”I’ve come to realize that obviously I’ve been a little selfish to think that I could have had another perfect run and won a fifth Iditarod. Just because I’ve had the experience and a team in the past, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen every damn time.

“I can’t say it’s bad, because I’m having a good run. I just don’t have any dogs left to run with. I don’t have much ammo.”