'See you in Nome!' Final leg of Iditarod underway.

Iditarod leader Lance Mackey left early this morning on the final leg of the Iditarod.

|
Nathaniel Wilder/ Reuters / FILE
The final leg of the Iditarod got under way this morning. Iditarod leader Lance Mackey has a two-hour lead over his opponents.

"See you in Nome." With those words and two-hour lead, musher Lance Mackey hit the trail for the final leg of the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race.

Mackey left the White Mountain checkpoint at 4:43 a.m. following a mandatory eight-hour layover. He had a one hour, 57-minute lead on his closest competitor, Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

The front-runners were expected to reach the Nome finish line 77 miles from White Mountain early Tuesday afternoon.

Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King of Denali Park remained in third place.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to 'See you in Nome!' Final leg of Iditarod underway.
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0316/See-you-in-Nome!-Final-leg-of-Iditarod-underway
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe