Iron Dog

The Iron Dog is the unique sporting event that is a hybrid. It is a 2,000 mile snowmachine race, and that makes it the ultimate test of endurance. But it is also a distance race done at a phenomenal pace. It would be the equivalent to seeing a marathon foot race in which the humans run at the speed of 100 meter sprinters. The north-bound trail trail of the Iron Dog race follows the northern route of the Iditarod sled dog race to Nome. This portion of the course has 16 checkpoints where drivers fill up their snowmachines with gas and can take a layover.

The 2013 Iron Dog race weekend begins Friday, February 15, 2013 at Big Lake and runs through Sunday with the Official Start of the Pro Class. Friday, February 15th:  Trail Class Start Schedule of Events 8:30-9:30 am | Trail Class teams starting showing up and getting ready. 10:00 am | Trail teams start rolling out. 11:00 am | Sponsors and vendors setup for the Saturday events and position for the Pro Class race on Sunday. To Be Announced:  Big Lake Winter Fest New in 2012.

$126,000 in cash payouts 1st place: $50,000 2nd place: $35,000 3rd place: $18,000 4th place: $13,000 5th place: $10,000 For the team finishing in 6th place, the prize is a certificate for a free entry into the 2014 Iron Dog race for both riders. $84,500 in available Contingency Prizes

Alaska Industrial Hardware is one of the newest sponsors for the Iron Dog race. Their support provided the tools and supplies we need to build our events. From Start to Finish, AIH supplied the Iron Dog with everything from drill bits to safety fence. AIH literally helped us build a better Iron Dog! Alaska has many great companies helping build the future for Alaskans. One is Alaska Industrial Hardware (AIH), which marked its 50th anniversary in 2009. With its half-century history, AIH has proved that a small store with a bare-bones beginning can grow into a strong and established company with the capability of flourishing and overcoming economic downturns.

Over the course of a 2,000 mile snowmachine race, no two journeys are ever the same. According to one safety inspector, some snowmachines come back looking like they just rolled off the show-room floor, and others come back looking like they went through a World War. That’s why four different two-person inspection crews gave each vehicle a thorough examination last weekend, to make sure the snowmachines are good to go. "It's a long,...

A Sincere Thank You to Our Volunteers. Before I dive into any other topic, it needs to be said immediately that Iron Dog is largely dependent on the kindness, efforts and work of our volunteers. As a two person staff, putting on an event of this magnitude is an incredible endeavor. I am sincerely grateful for the support we receive year round and especially aware of the stresses placed on our volunteer Marshals and other Officials. Every volunteer deserves to be thanked personally and I hope if you see them working you'll help me make that happen.

Iron Dog announced that Scott Davis has confirmed that he will be partnered with Todd Palin in the 2012 Iron Dog race. The announcement brings questions about who Palins former partner, Eric Quam will race with.  So far, there are only rumors. Iron Dog suspects that Mark McKenna (who is partnered with Dusty VanMeter) may still be struggling with his shoulder injury causing him to possibly drop out.  Unofficial speculation is that Quam and VanMeter will join forces. The rules on switching partners state that substitutions are allowed under race rules, so long as paperwork is in on time.   

Billy Koitzsch of Anchorage completed a 2,000 mile journey from Knik to Nome to Fairbanks this past Friday, covering the Iron Dog trail on a fat tire bike.  Koitzsch, 40, took about 40 days to finish his trip across some of Alaska's most demanding and varied terrain.  Koitzsch is believed to be the first cyclist to traverse the Iron Dog trail solo.  He began his trip February 21st, traveled the southern route of the Iditarod to Nome,...

Most of the Iron Dog teams reached Nome on Tuesday and marked the midway point of the 2,000-mile race. Team #17, McKenna and VanMeter, claimed a $10,000 prize for arriving in Nome around 3:20 p.m. Tuesday followed by Team #10, Morgan and Olds. The top 3 was rounded off by Team #16, Minnick and Olstad. Day 3 of the Iron Dog journey also ended several other teams run at the title. Team #30, Jackson and Hanson, along with Team #7, Sheldon and Wells, scratched in Galena.

The Iron Dog snowmachine race saw its first drivers reach Galena Monday afternoon, as this year's field of 31 teams spent its first full day on the 2,000-mile trail from Big Lake to Nome and ultimately Fairbanks. Team 40, made up of Archie Agnes and Arnold Marks Jr., sped into Galena Monday afternoon shortly before 3 p.m., followed about half an hour later by Team 32's Brad Dietrich and Tim Jauhola. Due to required layovers, however, the fastest-moving Iron Dog teams may not necessarily be the ones in the lead.

Billy Koitzsch of Anchorage completed a 2,000 mile journey from Knik to Nome to Fairbanks this past Friday, covering the Iron Dog trail on a fat tire bike.  Koitzsch, 40, took about 40 days to finish his trip across some of Alaska's most demanding and varied terrain.  Koitzsch is believed to be the first cyclist to traverse the Iron Dog trail solo.  He began his trip February 21st, traveled the southern route of the Iditarod to Nome,...

Upgraded from critical condition to serious, Jason Wichman's medical condition is improving  following a plane crash near Rainy Pass more than a week ago that left both him and the pilot badly injured -- only days after Wichman withdrew from the Iron Dog snowmachine race. Aaron Bartel raced with Wichman three years in a row as partners in the Iron Dog, and this year would have been their fourth time entering the race.  "It was always a dream of Jason's to go and stand up with a trophy," Bartel said.

Meet your new Iron Dog snowmachine race champions, the same as the old ones -- Marc McKenna and Dusty VanMeter of Team 17, who repeated their 2012 victory during a sunny finish in Fairbanks at 12:38 p.m. Saturday, having once again conquered more than 2,000 miles of trail. McKenna and VanMeter's win came on Ski-Doo sleds, with 36 hours, 58 minutes and 54 seconds of trail time. Their victory was threatened Friday by Team 23's Brian Dick and Eric Quam, who had closed the lead to only seven minutes of trail time, with race officials expecting the two teams to duel for position en route to Tanana.

The 2013 Iron Dog snowmachine race's leading team opened up its lead to more than an hour of trail time Friday afternoon en route to Tanana, with apparent mechanical problems slowing its nearest competitors. Race standings as of 5:15 p.m. Friday say that Team 17's Marc McKenna and Dusty VanMeter lead Team 23 racers Brian Dick and Eric Quam by 64 minutes -- versus what Iron Dog volunteer Chris Graeber called a seven-minute lead as of 11:30 a.m. McKenna and VanMeter reached Tanana at 2:13 p.m., with Dick and Quam arriving at 3:17 p.m. One of Team 23's snowmachines was towing the other one into the checkpoint.

A Sincere Thank You to Our Volunteers. Before I dive into any other topic, it needs to be said immediately that Iron Dog is largely dependent on the kindness, efforts and work of our volunteers. As a two person staff, putting on an event of this magnitude is an incredible endeavor. I am sincerely grateful for the support we receive year round and especially aware of the stresses placed on our volunteer Marshals and other Officials. Every volunteer deserves to be thanked personally and I hope if you see them working you'll help me make that happen.

Snowmachiners in the 2013 Iron Dog began roaring out of Nome Thursday in five-team groups arranged by current standings, headed for the Fairbanks finish line after taking a day of rest at the race's midpoint. According to an Iron Dog list of restart times, Team 17's Marc McKenna and Dusty VanMeter -- 2012's champions and the 2013 race's leaders by three minutes of trail time -- were first out of the gate from Nome at 8 a.m., followed two minutes and 39 seconds later by their closest competitors for the lead, Brian Dick and Eric Quam in Team 23. Third-place holders Aaron Bartel and Brad George in Team 25 left Nome at 8:14:50 a.m., with Team 11's Scott Davis and Todd Palin departing at 8:28:49 a.m. and Team 8's Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson rounding out the top five.

Most teams in the Iron Dog snowmachine race are in Nome Wednesday, pausing at the race's midway point for a mandatory rest-and-repair period before continuing to its Fairbanks finish line Thursday. Team 23's Brian Dick and Eric Quam led the way into Nome, arriving at 4:22 p.m. Tuesday afternoon -- and closely followed by the race's 2012 champions, Marc McKenna and Dusty VanMeter in Team 17, who arrived only 23 seconds later. While McKenna and VanMeter were second into Nome, they are first in total trail time, leading the race over Dick and Quam by a razor-thin 37 seconds.

STORY UPDATED AT 9:30 p.m. 2/19/13: The top teams have reached Nome, the halfway point in the Iron Dog race, and it's proving to be a tight race by the seconds. A mere 23 seconds separates first from second, but being the front runner can feel like a technicality. “It's nice to be in front but, were so close together that we are basically the same,” Eric Quam, of Team 23, said. Quam and his partner Brian Dick checked in first at 4:22 p.m. followed by last year's champs.

STORY UPDATED AT 8:38 p.m. 2/18/13: On day two of the Iron Dog race, five teams scratched, leaving 34 teams on the trail, as of early Tuesday evening. Iron Dog officials said mechanical issues hit three teams and injuries took two others, and said it has “ not yet received any word of any life threatening injuries .” Details of the injuries have yet to be released, but a couple of rookie teams scratched at the McGrath checkpoint due to injuries, including Team 4 of Chad Dow and Chris Kruse after declaring their 14-hour layover and took out Team 5 of Ray Chvastasz and Jens Hopson.

A plane following an Iron Dog snowmachine team that crashed near Rainy Pass Sunday afternoon, severely injuring both men on board, had turned around after it took off according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Alaska State Troopers say Robert Stone, an Anchorage attorney, and former Iron Dog snowmachine racer Jason Wichman received “critical injuries” in the crash. Stone was listed in fair to stable condition at the Alaska Native Medical Center, while Wichman was in critical condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center.