Canadian Mushers Leading Challenge to Iditarod Champ

5th Mar 2009, 8:31

Iditarod 2009 (03/04/2009) - According to the Iditarod odds released recently at PinnacleSports.com, two Canadian mushers – Hans Gatt & Sebastian Schnuelle – are among the serious challengers to two-time back-to-back champion, Lance Mackey.

Iditarod 2009 starts Sunday, March 8th from Anchorage Alaska, with dogs and mushers facing 1,161 miles across Alaskan wilderness, from mountain ranges, frozen rivers, to desolate tundra. Temperatures can fluctuate from 30 degress below to 30 degrees above, just another part of the huge physical challenge that makes the Iditarod the ‘Last Great Race on Earth’.

PinnacleSports.com, has Lance Mackey as the hot favourite with odds of 1.833*, as he bids to win a third straight Iditarod. Four time champion, Jeff King (odds of 7.450*), will provide a live challenge, but it is the Canadians Gatt (with odds of 16.00*) and Schnuelle (odds of 21.00*) that provide interesting options. Schnuelle won February’s Yukon Quest in a record time, a race that Mackey chose to miss, despite making the race his own winning from 2005 to 2008. Gatt actually pulled out halfway through the same race, because his dogs where running so well. Never better than sixth in the Iditarod, the Canadian’s justification was that he felt this could be his best chance of success in the Iditarod.

To add further intrigue to what is already an engrossing event, Anchorage is just 110miles North East of Mount Redoubt, a volcano on a high stage of alert, which has been threatening to erupt for many months.

For the latest Iditarod odds visit www.pinnaclesports.com.

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