Four-time champion Lance Mackey waves to fans during the ceremonial start of the 2012 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (Loren Holmes / ADN archive 2012) - KASILOF, AK 
Why mushing fans support Lance Mackey, no matter what
By now, loyal mushing fans have heard the news that Lance Mackey — the only person to win both the Iditarod and Yukon Quest sled dog races in the same year — withdrew from the Last Great Race, citing "health reasons."
I was sad to learn the news, and I quickly realized after reading the comments at the bottom of the Alaska Dispatch News story and the well-wishes left from fans on Lance's social media page that I was not alone.
"Be well Lance! You are the Alaska we love!" wrote Jim678. "You da Man, Lance Mackey! Here's to recovery and 2018 will be your New Year!" added Andi Taggart.
The adoration goes on and on.
It got me wondering why. The venue at the bottom of Internet stories is all too often a gathering place for people who prior to the Internet were big into writing salacious poetry on bathroom stalls. I've witnessed even the most benign stories digress into a pissing contest of cantankerous comments, so how does Lance pull off having so many people from so many different walks of life admire him?