Lance Mackey still in the lead in the Iditarod as he passes last checkpoint

Mackey passes last checkpoint still in the lead

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Three-time defending champion Lance Mackey is in the driver’s seat and headed for the finish line in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Mackey reached the last checkpoint at Safety at 11:37 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time on Tuesday. He left just four minutes later, getting back on the trail for the 22-mile run to Front Street and the finish in the 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.

Mackey was expected to reach Nome sometime between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Mackey has a 10-mile lead over his closest competitor, Hans Gatt of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King of Denali Park, who led part of the race, was in third place.