Champions repeat, Valley racers in top 5

FAIRBANKS — The team of Marc McKenna and Dusty VanMeter defended their 2012 Iron Dog snowmachine title with another championship Saturday, winning the 2013 Iron Dog in 36 hours, 50 minutes and 54 seconds.

The pair averaged 57.22 mph in their 2,000-mile run from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks, crossing the finish line at 12:38 p.m., Saturday. For McKenna, of Anchorage, the win is his fourth and added to titles in 2005, 2008 and last year. VanMeter, of Kasilof, won his fifth Iron Dog, adding to titles in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2012.

While McKenna and VanMeter were busy retaining their title, a trio of teams with Valley racers finished in the top-5. The team of Tyler Aklestad, Palmer, and Eagle River resident Tyson Johnson placed second, finishing less than an hour behind the winners in 37:49:39. They posted an average speed of 5.94 mph.

The closest finish near the top of the pack came between the team of Mike Morgan, Anchorage, and Chris Olds, Eagle River, who were just over 2 minutes faster than fourth-place finishers Brad George and Aaron Bartel. For George, a 19-year-old from Wasilla, this was his first Iron Dog finish. Bartel, of Anchorage, is a veteran of the race whose top finish before Saturday was 10th place in 2011.

Rounding out the top-5 was the team of Todd Palin and Scott Davis, who crossed the finish line in 39:20:33 with an average speed of 53.78 mph.

Local racer crashes

While the Valley placed racers in three of the top five finishing teams, a Valley father and son team was derailed by a Saturday crash down the homestretch going into Fairbanks.

Cody Barber, 19, was injured when his snowmachine crashed with the team out of Nenana, with only the North Pole checkpoint before the finish line. Barber was running with his father, Shane Barber, both of Willow.

Cody Barber was transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Saturday by aircraft, said Kevin Kastner, Iron Dog executive director.

Kaster didn’t know Cody Barber’s condition. A call to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital confirmed he had been transported there, but as of Saturday evening was still in the emergency room and had not been admitted.

Red Lantern

Big Lake racer Nathan Whitted and his partner, Bo Phillips of Anchorage, were presented the Red Lantern, awarded to the last team to cross the finish line in Fairbanks. The team placed 20th overall with a time of 69:19:11.

2013 Iron Dog

Final results:

1. Team 17 McKenna/VanMeter 36:58:54; 2. Team 8 Aklestad/Johnson 37:49:39; 3. Team 10 Morgan/Olds 38:17:22; 4. Team 25 George/Bartel 38:19:24; 5. Team 11 Davis/Palin 39:20:33; 6. Team 40 Marks/Marks 39:30:06; 7. Team 2 Sottosanti/Zwink 42:14:30; 8. Team 21 Brown/Dean 42:18:26; 9. Team 15 Collins/Reich 45:18:20; 10. Team 7 Brown/Kubitz 45:51:51; 11. Team 20 Faeo/Faeo 46:02:35; 12. Team 30 Crouse/Vaughn 49:18:23; 13. Team 12 Strick/Strick 49:48:59; 14. Team 36 Johnson/Lachinski 52:42:58; 15. Team 19 Boney/Laraux 55:21:21; 16. Team 3 Wilkes/Wold 56:02:00; 17. Team 24 Brown/Wessels 58:04:14; 18. Team 35 Hill/Juhlin 59:15:32; 19. Team 28 Salzbrun/Williams 61:13:05; 20. Team 37 Phillips/Whitted 69:19:11.