Product Description
In 1978, Dick Mackey claimed the most dramatic victory ever in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, crossing the finish line in Nome a mere one second ahead of Rick Swenson after a two-week, 1,149 mile-run from Anchorage. Many years later Alaskans still shake their heads in amazement. In One Second to Glory, Mackey shares this and many other adventures: Making a home in the forntier state in the heady first day s of Statehood; Surviving the 1964 earthquake and helping rebuild Alaska; Mushing against “”Doc”" Lombard and George Attla in the heyday of sprint racing; Helping Joe Redington organize the Iditarod Trail SLed Dog Race; Experience 82 degrees below zero at Coldfoot, his famous Arctic Circle truck stop; Mackey’s colorful stories are told in his own words in interviews with Lew Freedman, outdoor adventure writer for the Chicago Tribune and longtime former sports editor of the Anchorage Daily News. Freedman has written seventeen books about Alaska.
One Second to Glory: The Alaska Adventures of Iditarod Champion Dick Mackey
3 Responses to “One Second to Glory: The Alaska Adventures of Iditarod Champion Dick Mackey”
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December 8th, 2009 at 5:09 am
Wow. After 29 years it is still vivid to recall those 2 guys neck ‘n neck pulling their teams down Front Street in Nome. I woke to the radio alarm clock to get ready for my shift at the airport and heard they were inside of Safety (22 miles East of Nome). I got up and out of the apartment and walked down to Front street, and low and behold, there they were, stumbling, tugging. It was a bright, clear, cold day and the dogs looked so tired! What a hullabaloo that morning!
Mackey relives this and other moments in this book and he brings it all back. Thanks, Dick!
Rating: 5 / 5
December 8th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Mackey sums it all up: ” People who are content to stand still irritate me. I feel the same way about people in every profession… always try to improve your work… try to be the best you can be.”
This is a record of accomplishments of one man who came from New Hamphshire. He was a young, successful entrepreur until an accident changed his life…bankruptcy. He was young, married and a father. He lost it all… but not for long. ” I knew nothing about Alaska, but it was as far as I could drive.”
Alaska is a better place for men like Mackey. He has left his mark as a Iditarod Hall of Fame. The founder of Coldfoot, AK.
and the list goes on and on.
Mackey, you brag a lot… but it’s not really bragging… you did it.
Rating: 3 / 5
December 8th, 2009 at 6:43 am
A well written and extremely entertaining autobiography of Dick Mackey who won the Iditarod Race in 1978 by a second. In some ways, the book almost read like the history of Iditarod and as the founder of Coldfoot, Mackey probably won his place in Alaska history. I regards this more like public autobiography because Mackey mostly relates to his public life. What seem to be missing are stuff about his personal life outside of few mentions of his kids and his three wives. It would be bit more interesting to know the man behind his accomplishments and the cost.
But overall, I highly recommended this book about an extraordinary Alaskan who did extraordinary things. As a fellow Alaskan, I hope there will be more chapters to come.
Rating: 4 / 5