Cain Carter, stepson of two-time defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey, flashed his pedigree on Sunday with a comfortable victory in the 150-mile Junior Iditarod.
Carter, an 11th grader at Lathrop High in Fairbanks, crossed the finish line on Willow Lake at 12:34 p.m. with no other racers in sight. That was a big change from last year when Carter lost to Jessica Klejka of Bethel by two seconds in a mad dash to the finish line.
Almost an hour later, at 1:31 p.m., second-place Travis Beals arrived.
Six minutes behind him was Anitra Winkler of Cantwell, whose seven-dog team made incredible time on the run from the Susitna River to surge into third place. Winkler, 15, covered the 30 miles in 2 hours, 43 minutes, faster than anyone else including Carter, who made it in 3:13.
The race was Carter's fourth. He has said he intends to move up to the Iditarod after finishing high school.
The race, for mushers ages 14-17, is one of the most lucrative Alaska sporting events available for high school athletes. Carter earned $5,500 in scholarship money plus three round-trip plane tickets to Nome for the Iditarod Awards Banquet.
Scholarship money goes to the top five finishers.
Veteran Iditarod musher Linwood Fiedler, who employs several Junior Iditarod racers in a mushing tour business on a Juneau glacier, donated $5,000 to the race's scholarship fund this year.
The second-place finisher will earn $3,500.
Winners of the humanitarian and sportsmanship awards will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.
2009 Junior Iditarod
150 miles
Sunday's results (arrival time at Willow Lake)
1) Cain Carter 12:34 p.m.; 2) Travis Beal 1:31 p.m; 3) Anitra Winkler 1:37; 4) Rebekah Ruzicka 1:56; 5) Merissa Osmar 2:33; 6) Michael Owens 2:47; 7) Ava Lindner 3:03; 8) Meredith Mapes 3:14; 9) Charlotte Matheis 3:24:52; 10) Jeremiah Klejka 3:24:59; 11) Patrick Mackey 3:46; 12) Charlie Allison 3:54; 13) Shameka Nelson 3:57; 14) Lacey Hunt 5:16; 15) Carole Keller 5:52; 16) Garry McKeller 6:38; 17) MacKenzie Davis 6:49.
Still on the trail as of 6:30 p.m Sunday-- Jeff Holt, Kristen Crain. Scratches -- Ilsa Schwarzburg, Taylar Holt.
Anchorage Daily News
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