"Lance Mackey"

Mackey says he knows the trail was home for his brother. 

Casares wants to run the 1,000-mile Iditarod but says his first challenge will be completing shorter, qualifying races like the Copper Basin 300 or the Yukon Quest 550. 

Jennifer Smith, who shared a home and sled dog kennel with Lance Mackey, died Sunday night in an ATV accident near her home north of Fairbanks.

A positive drug test for methamphetamine has disqualified veteran dog musher Lance Mackey from the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, according to a statement from race organizers.

Fifty-eight mushers have signed up for the 2020 Iditarod. Among them are six former champions, including 2019 winner Pete Kaiser. But one four-time champion is absent.

Mushers are on the rivers heading out of Fairbanks right now, as the 45th Iditarod starts in earnest. This is the second time in three races that the restart has been in Fairbanks. And a lot of the mushers have vivid memories of the 2015 race, so this year, they’re trying to pack accordingly.

Mackey is a cancer survivor, and has had difficult time in the last two Iditarods, scratching in 2016 midway through the race.

“This is getting to be far enough into the race where you’re going to start seeing some people pushing the pace start to fall back a little bit,” said defending Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey.

Dog teams passed along some of the roughest parts of the Iditarod overnight, but the actual trail may not be the challenge. A handful of mushers are sick, and others are making an effort to keep their dogs ready to race.

Lance Mackey is a cancer survivor, but the disease and radiation treatment took a toll on the champion musher’s physical health.