It what can only be described as a shocking development, Cabela's Iditarod is reporting that four time champion Doug Swingley has scratched from the 2007 Iditarod.
Swingley was amongst the favorites for this year's race, and is one of the most brash, but experienced, long distance mushers in the sport. Early indications are that Swingley suffered some type of accident, and has broken his ribs and dislocated a thumb. While he could have continued the race, he didn't want to put his dogs in jeopardy with is inability to care for them properly. He becomes the first racer to pull out of this year's event, which has been marked by fast trails thus far.
No stranger to pain on the Iditarod trail, back in 2004 Swingley froze his corneas, leaving him temporarily blinded, on his run from Dalzell Gorge to Takotna, where he ultimately scratched from the race.
In other race news, Lance Mackey currently leads the field as the first mushter into Nikolai. Mackey is the three time defending champ of the Yukon Quest, but has yet to win an Iditarod. It looks like he could me making an early move to see if he can gain some time on the teams chasing him.
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