Sprint musher has advantage so far in Rockies stage race Fur Rondy champ Streeper proving to have the right mix in his team

Defending Fur Rendezvous sled-dog champion Blayne Streeper is providing an emphatic answer to the question of whether a sprint racer or distance specialist would prevail at the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race.

Blitzing Monday's 38-mile leg from Pinedale to Cora, Wyo., in 2 hours, 18 minutes, 13 seconds, Streeper tightened his hold on first place, boosting his margin over second-place Anna Bjorklund of Kiruna, Sweden, to more than eight minutes.

Meanwhile, four-time defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey is languishing in unfamiliar terrain -- ninth place and more than 46 minutes behind Streeper.

Running third 15 minutes off the pace is Aaron Peck, who has started three Iditarods, finishing as high as 45th. And veteran Aaron Burmeister of Nenana is fourth, racing behind some borrowed sprint dogs.

"First impression, I need some faster dogs," Mackey told the website mushing.com after the previous stage at Lander, Wyo. "But I was out there in a baseball hat and glove liners for crying out loud. It sure beats the Yukon Quest at this time of year."

Mackey is a four-time champion in the Quest, where temperatures can dip to minus-50 or colder.

If Mackey is hoping to make up time in the Stage Stop, today's stage, a 64-mile run that starts in Big Piney, Wyo., may be his best bet.

Stage racing is new to Mackey, along with the warm, thin air as mushers raced at elevations exceeding 9,000 feet.

"I feel it in my voice," Mackey told mushing.com. "I was up there winded. Everybody else was poling and kicking, and I was standing there enjoying the scenery. And it is beautiful, I'll tell you that."

The race continues through Wyoming before arriving in Park City, Utah, for the final stage and awards ceremony on Saturday.

International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race

Overall Times Through Monday

1) Blayne Streeper, 5:25:15; 2) Anna Bjorklund, 5:33:46; 3) Aaron Peck, 5:39:55; 4) Aaron Burmeister, 5:42:47; 5) Bruce Magnusson, 5:50:34; 6) Jake Golton, 6:00:00; 7) JR Anderson, 6:08:05; 8) Stacey Teasley, 6:10:38; 9) Lance Mackey, 6:11:26; 10) Ken Josefsen, 6:11:30; 11) Jerry Bath, 6:13:54; 12) Sylvain Robillard, 6:15:15; 13) Ryan Redington, 6:17:16; 14) Dawn Breedlove, 6:21:28; 15) Kate St. Onge, 6:26:55; 16) Charlotte Mooney, 6:45:35; 17) Newton Marshall, 6:50:10; 18) Keith Peppler, 6:50:19; 19) Matt Rossi, 6:52:14; 20) Dennis Laboda, 6:53:51.

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