Hitting the trail: Iron Dog teams leave Big Lake for the start of the 2025 race

The 2025 Iron Dog snowmachine race roared off the starting line this Saturday morning on Big Lake. Racers arrived early to unload and prepare their machines while hundreds of spectators lined the course to cheer on their favorite teams. There are 30 teams competing in the pro class division this year, with six past champions and three co-ed teams. Five teams participating in the expedition class will follow racers in pro class as they, too, make their way to Nome.

The general consensus between teams is that the course would be a tough one this year. Pro teams anticipate reaching McGrath for their first stop on the trail, making their first day about 340 miles. They anticipate running fast, but will have to balance their speeds with keeping their machines from overheating.

Ambassador teams, which departed from Big Lake on Feb. 13, reported poor trail conditions and open segments of trail, right down to rock in some places. Ambassador teams are taking more time than usual to prevent their machines from overheating with the lack of snow.

Stan Brown is the race marshal for this year’s Iron Dog. He said weather conditions were great for the start, minus an icy trail. He indicated there were some tough conditions in “the Burn,” a notorious section of trail that is known for being open and dangerous.

Brown held a meeting with the racers, providing them with updated trail reports and any final information they needed before heading out of Big Lake. He said his goal is to get teams from start to finish as safely as possible.

“Hopefully it’s just a nice clean race and everybody gets to Nome and back to Big Lake,” Brown said.

David Bathke is the lead of the tech inspection team for Iron Dog. Bathke said all of the racers were good to go after checking their race sleds and gear at the start. He followed up with racers that needed to adjust their gear or their sleds after inspection on Wednesday.

Necessary gear includes fire starter, signal flares, flashlights, -20 degree sleeping bag, extra clothing, satellite communication and first aid kits. Race marshals check again in Nome and when they return to the finish on Big Lake. Top 10 finishing teams receive a full inspection before receiving awards and placement.

Bathke swapped roles after completing his inspections and helped attach GPS tracking devices to race sleds. This allows officials to keep track of racers and allows spectators a chance to follow along from home. Live tracking is available at: https://trackleaders.com/irondog25f.php

Bathke has been volunteering with Iron Dog since 2009. He said over 200 volunteers make the race happen every year. He comes back for the camaraderie and being around great people.

“This is an awesome place to be right now,” Bathke said. “There’s some wonderful people here, some amazing machines and the finest athletes on the planet earth.”

Pro Class Teams

Pro class teams will be racing over the Alaska Range, dropping down to McGrath, racing to the Yukon River and down to Unalakleet on Norton Sound, then north to Kotzebue for the Red Dog Loop, back south and then along the northern portion of Norton Sound to Nome. They will reverse course on Feb. 19 and are expected to return to Big Lake on Feb. 22.

Bob Streiff, age 53 from Trego, Wisconsin, will be competing for the first time in the pro division under Team 13. Streiff participated in the expedition class in 2023. Teammate Dan Zimmerman, age 60 from Nisswa, Minnesota, is competing in his second Iron Dog. Zimmerman scratched during his first race in 2022 and is looking to achieve his veteran status this year.

Streiff said a lack of snow in the Lower 48 prevented him from putting on as many training miles as he had before competing in 2023. He said he is in good physical and mental shape, ready to race. Less than ideal trail conditions are already something Team 13 is considering regarding race strategy.

“We know what we’re up against, we know the snow conditions are marginal in places, so we’re prepared for that mentally,” Streiff said.

Both referenced the “young talent” on the field this year. Both are appreciative of being able to compete with other great racers.

“From the Lower 48, to look at these guys,” Zimmerman motioned with his hand to the other racers, “And seeing how they ride is just an eye opening experience.”

Danielle Levine is competing with her father, Larry Levine, under Team 16. This will be her third time competing in the race and will be looking for her second finish. Danielle noted that the course would be rough for the first day.

“It looks like it’s going to be rough, a lot of dirt and rocks,” Danielle said. “Hopefully all the teams can just make it to the coast where there’s a little more snow. But I think today’s going to be a rough day to McGrath.”

Danielle said she was looking forward to racing with her dad this year and enjoys seeing people in the villages as they pass through during the race.

Skye Rench, from Team 11, was feeling the nerves at the start as he lined up his machine among the other racers. He said he was excited to get on the trail and that he and teammate Kevin Niemi had a long day before the race, checking and double checking their machines. He said their practice run two days before the race was a confidence boost.

“We went on a practice ride two days ago with the race sleds and felt better than we have all season,” Rench said. “Everything ran the way we wanted it to run, everything felt the way we wanted it to feel. Now it’s up to us to keep the rubber side down and make it to Nome and back.”

Niemi said they got to the starting line early to prepare. He, too, mentioned how excited he was to hit the trail for his rookie year.

“We’re anxious and ready to go,” Niemi said.

Iron Dog veteran Hillarie Gossett, member of husband and wife Team 26, spent time with her son, Grayson, and daughter, Parker, at the starting line until the last minute before taking off with her husband Tim. She most looks forward to having a clean finish and travelling faster than she had in the past.

“The biggest thing, more than any, is just get there and get home,” Gossett said.

Gossett also referenced how tough trail conditions will be. She anticipates having to stop and wait to prevent their machines from overheating. Her goal for the first day is to keep the sleds, and themselves, in one piece.

“I just hope everybody makes it out safe and back safe. It’s a rough trail,” Gossett said.

Jeremiah Brewington and Frankie Navarro from Team 47 are participating for their first time in the pro class. Brewington and Navarro are the president and vice president, respectively, of Operation Iron Warrior, an organization that helps military veterans hop on snow machines and hit the trails. Operation Iron Warrior generally focuses on getting their members involved in the expedition class, but Brewington and Navarro decided they wanted to step it up a notch this year.

“I want to see what the trail looked like from the other way,” Brewington joked.

Navarro said they are feeling confident this year, despite not being able to put on the training miles they planned. Brewington said their goal is to have a strong finish.

“We’re not looking at a podium,” Brewington said. “If we get red lantern, we get red lantern and we’re happy with that. All we want to do, next week, is come back this way on Big Lake.”

Cody Pruett and Kevin Kornack are rookies this year competing in pro class under Team 36. They plan to be careful on the first day, monitoring trail conditions and keeping their sleds together. Pruett said they’ve been talking to other teams to get any information they can for the race. Their goal is to have a good finish.

“We would like to thank all of our sponsors to help get us here,” Pruett said.

Bubba McDaniel and teammate Wilson Hoogendorn from Nome are participating in their rookie year under Team 4. They had support from family and friends that traveled from Nome to Big Lake to celebrate the start of the race.

McDaniel said he was feeling calm and collected, ready to hit the trail. He said he looks forward to arriving home in Nome and said that competing in the Iron Dog was a lifelong dream.

“I’ve never done Iron Dog before,” McDaniel said. “It’s always been a dream of mine growing up in Nome, watching them all come through. I finally got the opportunity to do it.”

McDaniel said snow conditions seem to be better along the coast and they will need to take it easy until they get there. He hopes to place in the top 10 this year.

“Good luck to everybody and have fun,” McDaniel said.

Kris Kaltenbacher and Austin Carroll from Team 18 return to Iron Dog as veterans. A nervous Kaltenbacher pumped up the crowd as he and Carroll rolled up to the starting line.

“I’m feeling pretty good, a little nervous, but that’s to be expected,” Kaltenbacher said. “They don’t call it the toughest race in the world for nothing.”

Kaltenbacher said he and Carroll received a lot of tips from other pro racers on how to make their sleds as tough as they could be. His plan is to take the race smooth and steady, make it to McGrath and then reconvene to figure out a plan for the rest of the race.

Carroll, at the age of 18, is competing in his second Iron Dog. He is one of the youngest competitors this year. He said a top 10 finish would be a great way to finish the race.

Expedition Class

Teams in expedition class will travel at a slower pace than the pro class teams. They will traverse the same route, minus the Red Dog Loop. Once they cross the finish line in Nome, they will celebrate with the pro class teams and fly back to Big Lake.

Josh Norum will be riding in the expedition class with his father David Norum for Team 66. This is Josh’s fifth year in Iron Dog and his first time in expedition class. He said his decision to run the race with his dad this year was more important than competing in the pro class.

“He always supported me when I was racing and he always wanted to see the trail,” Josh said. “I get to take him now and show him the trail from the perspective we saw while racing.”

Josh said he feels relaxed not competing this year. His goal is to just have fun and enjoy riding during daylight hours.

David said he’s looking forward to riding the route with Josh this year and spending time as a father and son. His goal is to have fun, be safe and “check the box” for finishing the race.

Sue Scott is competing in the expedition class with her friend Rachel Morris in Team 98. Neither has competed in Iron Dog before. Running the Iron Dog was Morris’ lifetime dream, and Scott wanted to support her by running it with her.

“She roped me into it,” Scott joked.

Scott said her goal is to make it to Nome and wants to take in the sights. She is thankful for everyone that helped to get them to the start of the race.

“It takes a lot of support from everybody,” Scott said.

Growing up in London, Morris said that competing in Iron Dog has been a lifelong dream of hers. She said she could never have imagined that she would be standing where she was at the starting line.

“My emotions right now are amazing,” Morris said. “I’m happy, I’m scared, I’m anxious… I’ve done a lot in life but this is my biggest milestone. I’m so excited about this.”

Morris said that her husband has been her biggest support and looks forward to seeing him when she crosses the finish line in Nome. She encourages others to follow their dreams.

“I tell anybody if they have the desire, just do it. We’re in this to be safe and have fun. Go for your dreams, life is short,” Morris said.