2020 Iron Dog underway, finishing in Big Lake

WASILLA — The 2020 Iron Dog is officially underway.

Participants in the recreational class hit the trail on Feb. 13, and competitors in the pro class leave Fairbanks Sunday. They’re making their way down through rugged Alaskan wilderness, with Big Lake as this year’s finish line.

Bill Haller, Big Lake Lions Recreational Center facility manager is happy the Iron Dog is holding the finish in Big Lake, the birthplace of the race.

“We have been the home of the Iron Dog,” Haller said.

The first Iron Dog started in Big Lake and followed the Northern Route of the Historic Iditarod Trail to Nome in 1984, according to the official website.

The 2020 start and finish locations were reversed with an estimated 400 miles added to the course this year.

Iron Dog officials announced the reversal in November of 2019. They originally indicated Willow would be this year’s finish but they ultimately decided to switch to Big Lake and announced the change Jan. 21.

The Iron Dog offers a variety of ways for spectators to stay tuned into the race with live updates on their website and social media. Each racer is tracked with GPS pins so people can follow their progress throughout the race.

Haller said that he knows the tracking application gets plenty of use and he knows plenty of fellow Big Lake residents who made their way to Fairbanks for the start and plan to watch the finish back home.

“There’s some pretty avid followers of the Iron Dog,” Haller said.

Big Lake resident Paul Kerr said that he thinks finishing in his community is a good idea and it should be a lot of fun. He said the traffic of people into the area will probably be a little boost to the community.

“I think it will bring more into the Big Lake area,” Kerr said.

Haller said there definitely will be some sort of economic impact in the Big Lake area but it won’t be huge.

“I’m glad they did bring the finish back to Big Lake instead of Willow… I think the people of Big Lake have supported the Iron Dog for many, many years,” Haller said. “I think they heard it from the community and that’s why they brought it back.”

For more information, visit irondog.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com

Race schedule

• February 13, 2020 – Start of the Recreational Class (Fairbanks)

• February 16, 2020 – Start of the Pro Class (Fairbanks)

• February 19, 2020 – NAC Halfway Ceremonies (Nome)

• February 22, 2020 – Finish of the Pro Class (Big Lake)

2020 Pro Class statistics

• Official Pro Class Roster: 30 Teams

• Rookie Racers: 22

• All-Rookie Teams: 8

• Rural Alaska Racers: 19

• Out of State Racers: 6

Teams By Manufacturer

• Arctic Cat: 2

• Polaris: 20

• Ski-Doo: 8

• The 2020 Pro Class teams include 22 rookies, six of whom are from outside of Alaska. The official Pro Class roster can be found at irondog.org.