Cancer claims Iditarod champion Rick Mackey

In this March 6, 1999 record photo, soap opera prima Susan Lucci takes a thrust successful nan sled of musher Rick Mackey astatine nan commencement of nan 27th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race successful Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Rick Mackey, nan victor of nan 1983 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, has died of lung cancer, his girl told The Associated Press Wednesday. Mackey, who died Monday, was 71.

The Mackey sanction is intimately tied to nan history of nan Iditarod, nan grueling title that takes mushers and their canine teams 1,000 miles crossed nan Alaska wilderness to nan decorativeness statement connected nan Bering Sea coast. Rick’s father, Dick, won nan title successful 1978, and his precocious relative Lance won an unprecedented 4 consecutive championships from 2007 done 2010.

Rick Mackey was diagnosed pinch lung crab 2 weeks aft his relative died of crab successful September 2022, according to Rick Mackey’s daughter, Brenda Mackey.

All 3 Mackeys won their first Iditarod successful their sixth attempts, and each wore nan bib No. 13.

“It felt beautiful profound, honestly, that my dada died connected (May) 13th,” Brenda Mackey said. “You know, it seemed beautiful fitting.”

Rick Mackey was calved successful Concord, New Hampshire, connected May 1, 1953, and moved pinch family to Alaska successful 1959.

Before nan first Iditarod successful 1973, Brenda said her begetter asked Dick Mackey for a dog. “My grandpa sewage him a dog, and past he sewage 2 much dogs,” she said. Soon, they were spending weekends astatine sled canine races — Rick racing connected Saturdays successful inferior events and Dick Mackey successful big races connected Sundays.

Rick met his early wife, Patti, astatine a 1973 organization gathering to hole Dick Mackey to tally successful nan first Iditarod.

Their emotion and nan commencement of what is now nan world’s astir celebrated sled canine title person been intertwined from nan start. She and Rick handled dogs astatine nan commencement of nan 1974 Iditarod. He ran his first title a twelvemonth later.

“We were some very bully pinch dogs, truthful it was a beautiful bully match,” Patti Mackey said.

They joined successful 1977. Brenda was calved a twelvemonth later, and boy Roland was calved successful 1996.

When not racing, Rick and Patti Mackey ran their ain kennel and bred dogs. Not only does she see her hubby nan champion musher, but he was besides an “incredible” trainer, she said.

“This man could train a canine team, he conscionable had a existent rapport pinch those dogs,” Patti Mackey said. Her hubby doubly won nan Iditarod’s Humanitarian Award for exceptional canine care.

“All done our life, we’ve been fortunate capable to beryllium capable to person that benignant of manner and bring our children up successful an situation that not excessively galore group get nan privilege” of experiencing, she said.

Rick Mackey participated successful 22 Iditarods betwixt 1975 and 2004, notching 13 apical 10 finishes, including coming successful 2nd successful 1994 down four-time champion Martin Buser.

Mackey is 1 of six mushers who person won some of nan 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) sled canine races successful North America, nan Iditarod and nan now-defunct Yukon Quest International Sled Race betwixt Alaska and Canada. Lance Mackey besides is among those six.

In nan 1999 Iditarod, “All My Children” character Susan Lucci won an auction to beryllium an Iditarider, aliases nan personification who rides successful a musher’s sled during nan ceremonial commencement successful Anchorage, and rode successful Rick Mackey’s sled for nan 11-mile leisurely jaunt done nan streets of Alaska’s largest city.

Rick Mackey’s top accomplishment was his family, his woman said.

“He loved dogs, he loved racing, but bottommost line, thing other mattered much than his children and me,” she said. “He was conscionable very kind.”

His racing profession slowed down arsenic he aged, and he and Patti took schoolhouse territory jobs successful Nenana, a organization astir 60 miles southwest of Fairbanks. He led nan attraction and custodians for 17 years earlier retiring.

The family is tentatively readying services for Memorial Day weekend.