The 2009 Iditarod is pretty much all wrapped up by now, with the bulk of the mushers coming into the finish line over the past few days. By now, everyone knows that Lance Mackey won his third straight title, cementing his legendary status even more fully. But something else interesting took place in the race, with the emergence of some younger mushers who gave strong performances, giving us a glimpse of the future of The Last Great Race.
Not the least of these young racers is Dallas Seavey, whose father Mitch won the Iditrod back in 2004, and finished 4th this year. Dallas, who is just 21 years old, claimed a 6th place finish for himself this year. A former winner of the Junior Iditarod, the younger Seavey looks poised to leave his mark on the sport for years to come.
While Dallas is clearly the standout for the younger generation in this year's race, there are a number of other good mushers in their 20's and 30's who are now starting to leave their mark on the race as well. It seems the Iditarod has a bright future in front of it, if the competitive field is to be used as a gauge.
But before we clear out the "old timers", lets not lose sight of the fact that Lance is just 38 years old himself, and could continue to dominate the race for years to come.
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