15 days, 6 hours, 2 minutes, 57 seconds. That was Phil Morgan of Chupiak’s finishing time at 8:03pm (11:03 CST) last night. As the last musher to cross the finish line in Nome in this year’s race he’s been designated the “Red Lantern Winner” for this year. Several hundred Nome residents were on hand to cheer him on.
He may be the last musher to finish but there’s no way he’s a loser. Completing the Iditarod is the equivalent in dogsledding terms to climbing Everest. It’s an achievement that very few human beings have accomplished—a triumph of skill and tenacity against the distance, the terrain and the elements.
This year’s race was marked by poor trail conditions and mushers carrying on despite injuries and mishaps. Now the last musher has crossed the line and the red lantern has been brought in. Next year’s race starts in just over eleven months.
