We're delighted to be joined in this episode by Dick Mackey, one of the founders of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, which pushes off this weekend in Anchorage, AK, this weekend for the 52nd time.
Mackey, who is joined in this episode by his biographer Lew Freedman (a third-time guest on Conversations), shares the story of how he and Joe Redington Sr. created the 1,000-mile race across Alaska over 50 years ago.
Mackey also recalls the finish from his 1978 Iditarod win, when his team edged Rick Swenson's on Nome's Front Street by one second, easily the closest finish in the race's history.
Along with his sons Bill, Jason, Lance, and Rick, the Mackey family has won the race six times. Jason has a team entered this year after taking a hiatus to rebuild his kennel.
In addition to the Mackey's biography, One Second to Glory, Freedman has a new Iditarod-focused book out, Adventures on the Iditarod Trail, published by Northern Light Media.
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