This is a really nice article, and I think the author is right on about the notion of Lance as The People's Champion. However, this line--"I can only base my answer on my own experience"--isn't true. I hope the author pushes himself further than that next time. This piece would have been made better with the inclusion of a few others' anecdotes, or even some data--informal survey of other mushers?--about why Lance is so persistently popular. The best journalism--even an opinion piece--springs from personal experience into research that helps substantiate a claim.