Jeff King is a 4 time Iditarod Champ…first in 1993, then in 1996, 1998, and his most recent win was in 2006 at 50 years old…the eldest musher to win the Iditarod! He came damn close to winning again in 2008, but Lance Mackey out smarted him at one of the check points, and skiped out while Jeff was snoring away in the shelter. Classic Mackey…but Jeff was NOT happy…he would have won for sure if it wasn’t for Mackeys “snooze you loose tactic”! In 2009, he gave Lance a good run for the first part of the race…but then fell behind. One must wonder, is Jeff loosing his edge? Can an “old guy” keep up and stay competitive? When it comes to King and his pack of dogs, Id have to say yes!
This year, King has already won some impressive 200 and 300 mile races. And by the sounds of Jeffs blog, he is really happy with his team of dogs this year. He has anticipated his “elder status handicap” by creating a few innovations to help him cope with the brutal conditions found on the Iditarod Trail. For one, he designed a really comfortable sled that has a seat so he can sit down to get some rest. Since the debut of his sled, many other mushers have also adopted this style of “Iditarod Barcolounger”! Lets face it…1,049 mile long sled dog race is a long time for any musher to stand on the runners of a sled, no matter what your age is! A few years back, he also showed up with a cage on his sled so he could rotate the dogs around for some rest. And he also has a home made stove built into the sled handlebar so he can cook up a weiner while trotting down the trail and also heat his hands on those frigid alaskan days and nights. I heard this stove can get upwards to 200 degrees!! Jeff is well sponcered by the folks at Cabellas…his Cabellas Alaskan Iditarod Boots are awesome…I use them for ice fishing, and they are the BEST boots for cold weather! Jeff King is known as an innovator to the sport of sled dog racing, and his dog care is second to none!
In 2010, watch for Jeff to add yet another innovation to the Great Race to improve his racing technique. I believe in 2009 he added a special alarm clock (lol!!!). All kidding aside, Jeff is a contender…one to watch…his dogs have the power to win…and Jeff has the experience and drive to get them into Nome. If you want to learn more about Jeff King and his Team of Alaskan Huskies, go to his Husky Homestead website and check out his blog. This could be Kings year…a 5th Iditarod win could be right around the corner for him!
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