Jim Lanier of Chugiak says his favorite place on the Iditarod Trail is the finish line in Nome. "It's wonderful to get to Nome, have a beer, and find a bed," he said.
This year's Iditarod will be Lanier's 17th, and he'll be the oldest musher on the trail. At 73, Lanier is challenged with the infirmities that come with age, but he still delights in competing and treasures the relationship he has with his dogs.
"I really enjoy going out in the wilderness with them. And camping and visiting places, and visiting people, a lot of whom are old friends now. And the association with other mushers," says Lanier, who first raced in 1979. Age doesn't appear to be slowing the veteran, who's finished every Iditarod he's started. His 35th-place finish last year was eight places higher and more than 13 days faster than his rookie run. Two years ago, he even won the Dorothy Page Halfway award as the first musher to reach the race's midpoint.
Still, it's not easy. In the past few years Lanier has worn hockey gear at the beginning of the race to protect against trauma from the trail. But even though he's limping around, with bumps and bruises from training, he's going to continue to participate in Iditarod. "As long as I can do it under my own power, and do it at least somewhat competitively, why I'll keep at it," Lanier said.
After all, other mushers have competed well into their seventh decade. The late Joe Redington, father of the Iditarod, finished fifth in the 1988 race at age 71.
Watch all of the videos from our usher profile series Voices from The Last Great Race, see slideshows from the trail and more on our Iditarod page. See this video on Vimeo or YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great voices from the Last Frontier. Contact Alaska Dispatch videographer Tara Young at tara(at)alaskadispatch.com