John Baker, the race leader in the 2011 Iditarod, has passed through the Safety checkpoint and is on his way to the finish line in Nome, Alaska, seeking his first ever win in the Last Great Race on Earth. His closest competitor, Ramey Smyth, is 10 miles -- about an hour -- behind Baker (according to GPS readings). The distance from Safety to Nome is just 22 miles, which simply may not leave Smyth enough time to try and catch up.
Iditarod 2011: John Baker Out Of Safety, On Way To Finish Line In Nome
if he can hang on, Baker will become the first Western Alaskan to win the Iditarod in the race’s 39-year-old history. He’s expected to finish sometime around 1 or 2 p.m. EDT (watch a live-cam of Nome here).
Smyth has a history of legendarily quick runs from Safety to Nome, but this gap is likely just too great to overcome in such a short distance, especially after his run into the White Mountain checkpoint, a section he called his toughest run ever.
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