John Baker is less than eight miles from Nome, and less than eight miles form winning his first ever Iditarod. Baker, 48, pulled out of Safety, the final checkpoint before the finish line, at 10:48 a.m. EDT, 85 minutes ahead of Ramey Smyth, who’s attempting a mad dash at the end to try and catch Baker. But with just 22 miles between Safety and Nome, that dream is all but over.
Iditarod 2011: John Baker Nearing Nome And First Ever Iditarod Win
In fact, Baker only widened his lead on Tuesday.
The Kotzebue musher gained time on Smyth on the 55-mile run from Elim to White Mountain today.
Baker, who had a 50-minute lead leaving Elim, clocked a time that was 31 faster than Smyth’s.
Baker dashed in and out of Safety, lingering for one minute before hitting the trail at 6:48 this morning with 10 dogs in harness.
Smyth, one of the sport’s fastest finishers -- he’s known to swap out his boots for running sneakers during the final miles -- is down to eight dogs after dropping one in Safety, and losing time as Baker gets closer to the finish line on First Street, and the truck that comes with winning the Last Great Race on Earth:
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