2010 Musher's Banquet Award Winners

ALERT: Audio of the Banquet will be posted on Monday after it gets edited down.. a BIG thanks to Nate for providing us with the coverage at the event.

The 2010 Musher’s Banquet was held Sunday night, March 21st at the Nome Recreation Center.  Packing the place out once again over 800 volunteers, fans and locals alike gathered to hear stories of the trail as all finishing mushers were well into Nome by the time the banquet began, which means there will be no “Red Lantern Banquet” in 2010.  Frugal Nomeites will often skip the long and expensive ceremony and opt for the cheaper and shorter “Red Lantern Banquet” a few days later during years in which there are teams still out on the trail.  The “big show” sunday night gives each dog driver the opportunity to speak to the crowd and tell stories about their journey to Nome.  The highlight of the evening is always the awards portion, achievements earned on the trail are re-presented at this time and there are a handful of honors which are voted upon by different groups before the banquet begins and presented for the first time.  Mushers vote for items such as”Best Checkpoint” and “most helpful Vet on the Trail,” awards are also given for “Fastest time from Safety to Nome” and “Most Improved Musher” among others.  The highest honor of the evening comes in the form of the “Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award” and is given to a top twenty team who best demonstrates outstanding dog care while remaing competitive.

Big News from the event includes Lance Mackey saying he might skip the 2011 Iditarod in order to compete in another, international race.  Mackey also declared that Jeff King wouldn’t be staying in retirement, saying that King would be the “Brett Favre of mushers.”  We have more fun highlights the evening and will share them with you as the audio is posted in the next few days.

Congratulations again to Lance on his fourth consecutive Iditarod victory, congratulations also to all those who walked away with a special recognition this year, and to all those who made it to Nome – it’s an amazing feat.

To see pictures of the event (click here)
To hear audio from the 2010 Banquet (click here)

List of 2010 Iditarod Awards and recipients.

Special Iditarod Awards in Order of Presentation along the Trail

McGrath Checkpoint

PenAir Spirit of Alaska Award – Won by Jeff King

• Original “Spirit Mask” presented to the first musher into McGrath
• $500 PenAir credit towards travel or freight shipments also awarded

Halfway Point of the Iditarod – Cripple Checkpoint

GCI Dorothy G. Page Award – Won by Dallas Seavey

• Presented In honor of Dorothy Page, the “Mother of the Iditarod” to the first musher into Cripple (Iditarod in odd years)
• Trophy and $3,000 in gold nuggets

First to the Yukon River- Ruby Checkpoint

Millenium Hotel First Musher to the Yukon Award – Won by Jeff King

• Presented to the first musher that reaches the Yukon River (Ruby even-numbered years, Anvik in odd-numbered years).
• Awarded a 7-course meal, cooked on a camp stove by a Millenium Hotel staff, at the checkpoint and $5,000 as an ‘after-dinner mint’
• Musher receives the same 7-course meal for 2 anytime of their choosing at the Millenium Hotel.

Unalakleet Checkpoint

Wells Fargo Gold Coast Award – Won by Lance Mackey

• Presented with a trophy and $2,500 in gold nuggets to the first musher to reach the Bering Sea’s “Gold Coast”

End of the Race – First to Nome

Anchorage Chrysler Dodge Official Truck Award – Four Time Champion Lance Mackey

• 2010 Dodge Ram 4×4, Quad Cab Pickup Truck Presented to Iditarod winner for almost 20 years

Wells Fargo Winner’s Purse Award

• The big cash payout…

Wells Fargo Red Lantern Award – Presented to Celeste Davis

• Presented for 17 years to the last finisher of the Iditarod.
• Trohpy made from a red lantern

Banquet

Alaska Airlines Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award – Presented to Sebastian Schnuelle

• Presented to a top 20 team who best demonstrates “outstanding dog care while remaing competitive” throughout the race
• Given a Lead crystal cup and 2 free round trip tickets on Alaska Airlines

Fred Meyer Sportsmanship Award – Presented to Ray Redington, Jr

• Engraved trophy and $500 Fred Meyer gift certificate Presented to a participant chosen by fellow mushers

Horizon Lines Most Improved Musher Award – Presented to Sam Deltour

• Engraved trophy and $2,000 presented to musher who betters their previous finish by the greatest number of places

Nome Kennel Club Fastes Time From Safety to Nome Award – Won by Paul Gebhardt

• $500 presented to a top-20 musher with the fastest time from the Safety checkpoint to the finish line.

Rookie of the Year Award – Won by Dan Kaduce

• Presented for 30 years to the top-place rookie (a musher who has never before started the race)
• Trophy and $1,500

City of Nome Lolly Medley Memorial Golden Harness Award – Presented to Maple, Lance Mackey’s Leader

• Previously presented by the late Lolly Medley, a Wasilla harness maker and one of two women to run the 2nd Iditarod in 1974.  The award is now presented in her honor to an outstanding lead dog, chosen by the mushers.
• Embroidered gold-colored harness

Golden Clipboard Award – Presented to Cripple

• Presented for 10 years, by mushers, to a checkpoint voted by mushers.

Golden Stethoscope Award – Presented to Caroline Griffitts

• Presented by Iditarod Official Finishers Club to the vet whom mushers vote “most helpful on the trail.”

Northern Air Cargo Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award – Presented to William “Middie” Johnson

• Presented to musher who most mimics “Herbie: The Shismaref Cannon Ball” in his/her attitude on the trail by the staff and officials of the Iditarod.
• Free freight allotment on Northern Air Cargo, walrus ivory scrimshawed trophy, $1,049 in “pocket change” inside a NAC jacket

ExxonMobil Mushers Choice Award - Presented to Jim Lanier