Who's on Second?

As the 2009 Iditarod leaders head up the Bering Sea coast, Lance Mackey is maintaining the comfortable 5 hour lead he positioned himself into following his 24 hour layover, but the race for 2nd place is really heating up. The Shaktoolik checkpoint crew will be busier then a one-armed Iditarod pooper-scooper this morning as 5 teams within 2 miles of each other form a doggie traffic jam on the coastal trail leading into that former reindeer herding community of 230 people on the Norton Sound.

Jeff King, who came in second to Mackey in last years race, leads the charge, however he is followed closely by John Baker, Mitch Seavey, Aaron Burmeister, and Hugh Neff. Another mile back is Sebastian Schnuelle. Mackey spent only 37 minutes at Shaktoolik as he passed through the checkpoint earlier today as he continues his pattern of long runs and appears to be headed another 40 miles to Koyuk before he takes some substantial rest. Chances are good, that this pack will deploy the same strategy so as not to slip in the standings. Race rules require an 8 hour layover at White Mountain which is another 90 miles beyond Koyuk.