You don't often see Lance without a water bottle slipped into his back pocket or tucked away in his winter coat. It's a necessary part of his life. Purely Alaskan Water now supplies Lance with all the water he can drink. Good Alaskan water. Can't beat that. "It's a real good fit". says Lance. "I am pleased to welcome Purely Alaskan Water as a 2009 sponsor".

Purely Alaskan Water has been serving the state of Alaska with premium-bottled water, crushed ice, and block ice since 1999. Visit their web site and be sure to thank them for their sponsorship.

Local Alaska National Guard Pitch In!
It's that time of year. A large 12 ton order of meat was recently delivered to the Comeback Kennel. Lance assured the truck driver that he would have help unloading all that frozen meat. The truck driver was skeptical. Lance needed the extra meat to furnish 4 racing teams this year. One of those teams is Harry Alexie, who's regular job is working with the 2nd Battalion 29th Infantry Alaska National Guard in Bethel. They leased a team from Lance, thanks to the Alaska National Guards program to challenge their men & women. Unloading 12 tons of frozen meat is a snap when Harry's Alaska National Guard unit shows up to help.

"Zorro"

A moment.....James & Grandpa Lance.

---

Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks APRN
Listen to audio

Lance and Tonya Mackey are proud Grand parents. Their daughter Brittney gave birth to their first grand baby.

Welcome James Thomas Hawkins III. Born October, 7th 2008 at 1 pm. James is seven pounds, seven ounces.

Both mother and son are resting comfortably.

Lance Goes to New York City to Promote Discovery/Iditarod 
Lance will be in New York City Wednesday Oct 8th & Thursday 9th to promote Discovery’s premier of "TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD", which will air Tuesday, October 14th at 10 PM ET/PT. The six hour miniseries follows mushers and their sled dog teams across more than a thousand miles of rugged terrain as they take on Mother Nature - and each other - in The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

• THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9
  • Sirius Satellite Radio Interviews
  • Conan O'Brien - NBC Check local listing for times in your area. Other guest will be actor Dennis Quaid & singer- song writter Sarah McLachlan.
    

Alaskans Get Sneak Preview!
Alaskan fans were treated to a sneak preview of Discovery's latest gem. About 1,200 people were invited to view the first episode of the 2008 Iditarod sled dog race. "The Toughest Race on Earth. Iditarod".

You will follow mushers Lance Mackey, Bruce Linton, DeeDee Jonrowe, Martin Buser, and Jeff King along with others that come along for the ride of their life.

You could say this is a tough crowd for previewing, after all these were die hard Iditarod fans, with years of viewing film footage of the Iditarod and other extreme Alaskan sled dog races. And what did they have to say? "That was awesome" exclaimed a group, as they piled out of the auditorium, "the footage was incrediable" said others."The best I have even seen" said two long time volunteers. Everyone seemed pleased.

The 2008 Iditarod/Discovery Channel gang - From left to right: Bob Ormberg: VP, Content Products, Jeff King, Martin Buser, Bruce Linton, DeeDee Jonrowe, Lance Mackey & Bob Gold Discovery Channel

The difference between this coverage and others before them, is the Discovery crew spent a considerable amount of time following several mushers from the start in Anchorage to the finish in Nome and many check points in between. Cameras rolling everywhere. They were duct taped to sleds so you can get a real feel of the trail and the demand on the mushers. You get to know each musher, cheer them on, feel their pain, their energy and their moments of joy. Two thumbs up Discovery!

Discovery’s premier of "TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD", will air Tuesday, October 14th at 10 PM ET/PT. The six hour miniseries follows mushers and their sled dog teams across more than a thousand miles of rugged terrain as they take on Mother Nature - and each other - in The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Check out the Ontario Federation of Sled Dog Sports Podcast
2008 Symposium Podcast with Lance Mackey - This is a recording of Lance's keynote address (2 hours). Introduction by Ray Erker (OFSS). Lance was speaking while showing a Power Point Presentation to a crowd of fans & fellow mushers.

Click here to listen (MP3)

DISCOVERY CHANNEL WORLD PREMIERE SERIES
DATE IS CHANGED TO OCTOBER 14!
Mushers and their sled dog teams endure more than a thousand miles of unforgiving Alaskan wilderness along the Iditarod Trail in hopes of making it across the finish line – Discovery’s premier of TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH: IDITAROD, will air Tuesday, October 14th at 10 PM ET/PT. The six hour miniseries follows mushers and their sled dog teams across more than a thousand miles of rugged terrain as they take on Mother Nature - and each other - in The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. View the Discovery Channels trailor... 

Braxton Peterson

A Spaghetti feed will be held to help Braxton pay his medical expenses September 28th from 12-4pm and silent auction at the challenger learning center in Kenai, Alaska.

An account has been set up with Wells Fargo so people can donate funds to help with Braxton's medical expenses which are have exceeded $11,000. You can drop by any Wells Fargo bank, savings account number is 7319379777

or you can donate through this paypal donation button we have set up

Thank you....Keep him in your thoughts & prayers!

Lance named Toughest Athlete by Versus
Competition is more than just a sport. And sports on Versus is beyond winning and losing. The athletes are about toughness, grit, and survival, adversity, sacrifice and the will to triumph. Lance has been voted the "Toughest Athlete" by Versus. Although Lance is honored by this, he salutes each and every athlete out there. They all represent true toughness. "It is a journey for all of us" says Lance.

Thank you for your vote Click Here to read more

Speakers include:

• Lance Mackey, World's First and Only 2-Time IditaQuest Champion: speaking on Mushing 101 and Kennel Management
• "Dr. Tim" Hunt, sled dog vet/dog food producer
• Tim Riley, Wildlife Biologist with USDA/APHIS, musher, and 2009 Iditarod rookie speaking on Iditarod history and training for his first Iditarod.

Activities: Covered wagon shuttle service. Event t-shirts will be on sale at site. Lance's "Appetite & Attitude" DVD will be available for sale. Numerous "door prize" items.

Interview after 1st Place win 2007

 

 

Don't miss the 5th Annual Mackey
Fund Raiser Planned for October 11th
Dinner & auction at the Alpine Lodge in Fairbanks, Alaska 6 pm. Tickets are available at the Fairbanks College Road & University Movie Gallery! 

WHEN: Saturday, October 11th, 2008
WHERE: Alpine Lodge Glacier Room (at the Finish Line Restaurant & Lounge) Fairbanks, Alaska (across from the Fairbanks airport)
TIME: 6 pm till 9 pm
TICKETS: $15.00 Adults/ $10.00 Children 12 & under. This includes a delicious spaghetti dinner.
LODGING: If you are coming in from out of town, the Alpine Lodge is offering a special on rooms for $65.00 per night.

Enjoy a wonderful dinner at the Alpine Lodge with two time Idita-Quest Champion dog musher, Lance Mackey. There will be door prizes and an auction. Prepare to have fun and bid, bid, bid.. Click here to download flyers (PDF)

Want to read more about Lance Mackey &
the Come Back Kennel?  click here