Two-time Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey won the inaugural Cantwell Classic, a 200-mile race from Cantwell to Maclaren River Lodge and back. The trail was slow as heavy snowfall in just days prior to the race made traveling difficult, and as a result a slower pace was set. Temperatures dropped to -10F with clear skies as Lance crossed the line at around 2am on Sunday, January 14th.Ken Anderson of Fox, Alaska said that the going was tough and he had a fairly young team, which made it a slow race. Anderson thought the trail was too deep in snow with the recent snowfall, but thought the overall race format and organizing was very well done and he would like very much to race the Cantwell Classic again. Many mushers were using this race as a lead-up to their Yukon Quest and Iditarod races later in the season.
