Iron Dog racers hit the trail for Fairbanks

BIG LAKE — In what may mark the end of an era, 38 two-person teams left the starting chute on Big Lake Sunday headed for an expected finish in Fairbanks some 2,031-miles away.

In the early stages of the race, five teams in the Pro Class already have scratched from the event that bills itself as the longest snowmachine race in the world. Out of this year’s race are Team 11, Team 13, Team 14, Team 32 and Team 37. Three racers in the Trail Class also scratched.

Team 11 — Todd Palin and Tyler Huntington — turned around in Skwentna and headed back to Big Lake Monday to make repairs to their sleds. Iron Dog Race marshals say Team 11 intends to continue the race as soon as repairs are complete. But the team eventually scratched out at Shell Lake.

The Trail Class left Big Lake Friday, but it was the Pro Class start on Sunday that brought out hundreds of excited race fans to the starting chute holding signs and cheering their favorite teams.

Team No. 22 was first to hit the trail at 11:10 a.m., and the rest followed in two-minute intervals.

Brief bios of each team played over they sound system as racers said their goodbyes and settled in for the start. In the pre-recorded statements, racers thanked family, friends and sponsors for their support with the race and voiced concern for the rough trail ahead.

Iron Dog Race Director Kevin Kastner said temperatures are cooler and some areas have new snow since racers’ recorded those worried pre-race interviews. He described the trail as “hard.”

For example, Kastner said the Trail Class already crossed the barest part of the trail with only one person scratching.

“There was a lot of concern early on, but most of that healed by the time we actually said ‘go,’” he said. “They are making pretty good time right now.”

There are 15 teams representing the Mat-Su in this Pro Class of 38. They are: Team 2 — Shane Barber of Willow and Ryan Sottosanti of Wasilla; Team 5 — Chris Carroll of Fairbanks and Ray Chavastasz of Wasilla; Team 6 — Andy George of Wasilla and Brad George of Wasilla; Team 8 — Tyler Aklestad of Palmer and Tyson Johnson of Eagle River; Team 11 — Tyler Huntington of Galena and Todd Palin of Wasilla; Team 12 — Roger Paradise of Glenburn, Minn., and Eric Watson of Wasilla; Team 15 — Ryan Johnson of Wasilla and Charlie Potter of Big Lake; Team 16 — Todd Minnick of Wasilla and Nick Olstad of Wasilla; Team 18 — Chad Gueco of Wasilla and Andrew Zwink of Wasilla; Team 20 — Gabe Bunke of Moorehead, Minn., and Scott Faeo of Wasilla; Team 23 — Brian Dick of Thief River Falls, Minn., and Eric Quam of Palmer; Team 25 — Race Price of Wasilla and Erick Smith of Anchorage; Team 26 — Jacob Hartley of Talkeetna and Devin LaBarbera of Kenai; Team 37 — Mike Dropik of Palmer and Marcus Jensen of Anchorage; and Team 38 — J Doss Daley of Anchorage and Cory Easterling of Wasilla.

But it may be the last year for some time that the Valley sees the Iron Dog host its race start here.

Kastner said the organization is scouting a new route that would accommodate an Anchorage 2015 start as part of the city’s centennial celebration. The proposed route includes stops in the Valley, but under the plan being considered the race would no longer start here.

“Nothing is final until it happens,” Kastner said. “But I have a high degree of confidence we are going to move it.”

For now, racers start from Big Lake, and check in and gas up at checkpoints along the way to the halfway point in Nome. The second leg of the race wraps up in Fairbanks Feb. 22.

Follow racers’ progress online at irondog.org/gps-tracking.

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268 or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.