Iron Dog racers prepare for 2021 race with tech inspection

WASILLA — The 2021 Iron Dog starts this weekend. Over three dozen professional and recreational snowmachine racers stopped through the former Arctic Cat building in Wasilla for pre-race tech inspections on Wednesday.

“Today went fantastically,” Iron Dog Interim Executive Director Mike Vasser said.

The Expedition Class is a non-competitive, slower paced race that’s half the distance as the pro trail. The rec class left the Burkeshore Marina in Big Lake on Thursday at 10 a.m.

The pro race course spans over 2,600 miles across some of Alaska’s toughest terrain, venturing from Big Lake to Nome and through the Kotzebue Loop before returning to the Historic Iditarod Trail and finishing back at Big Lake. The pro class departs from the Burkeshore Marina on Saturday at 11 a.m.

“The race is moving along well,” Vasser said.

According to Vasser, the only thing they’re worried about at this point is the weather. He said that he’s heard there’s been a week-long period of planes not flying over the coast due to 60, 70 mph winds.

“It looks like it’s gonna’ let up, but I’m not a meteorologist, That’s what it says,” Vasser said with a laugh. “Obviously, you never know what the weather’s gonna do at the coast… Everything else is really good.”

Vasser has over 20 years of experience racing snowmachines across the state. He said that he ran the 2014 Iron Dog, and he’s been around as a sponsor for over 18 years.

“It’s the world’s longest, toughest snowmachine race there is. It’s very Alaskan bred,” Vasser said.

Racers from across the state and beyond participate in this event every year. This year’s roster has several out of state racers, including a team from Canada.

Jacob Dahle and Dustin Dohrn flew up from Minnesota just to run the Iron Dog. It’s their first time taking part in the race and their first time in Alaska.

“I’ve always wanted to come up here,” Dohrn said. “I think we’re pretty jacked for it… It will be a learning experience for both of us.”

Dohrn and Dahle are old friends who’ve raced snowmachines across the Lower 48. They said this will be the longest race they’ve participated in, and it will be like nothing they’ve ever done before.

“We just gotta make sure we and the machines stay in condition,” Dahle said. “This will be by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in a while… Our racing is totally different than this up here.”

McGrath residents Barney Anselment and Amos Cruise are racing together this year.

Anselment said that aside from the challenge and the unique chance to ride through Alaska’s striking wilderness, his favorite thing about Iron Dog is how it brings people together and fosters acts of kindness along the trial despite the high level of competition.

“I know a lot of people on the trail too. Camaraderie is pretty big,” Anselment said.

Anselment recalled a particularly challenging year where he found himself stuck in a creek well into the race. He said that several teams stopped to pull him out of a creek.

“I wouldn’t have gotten out if it weren’t for them,” Anselment said.

Vasser said that he’s made a lot of friends over the years thanks to the Iron Dog, which is one of his favorite takeaways.

“It’s a big family. That’s probably the biggest compliment that I heard today, especially from the out of state racers. They were overwhelmed about how welcomed they have been since they’ve been here,” Vasser said.

According to Vasser, there won’t be any parking at either starting line, so he encourages people to find a spot where they can safely watch from a distance.

“The people that do attend are people who walk or ride on their snowmachine or side-by-side,” Vasser said.

For more information, visit irondog.org.