Iron Dog racers to speed off Big Lake on Sunday

BIG LAKE — If the 2,000 miles of Alaska backcountry from here to Nome to Fairbanks isn’t enough to entice the world’s elite snowmachine racers, there’s the cold, hard cash.

When 56 racers on 28 teams take off from Big Lake Sunday to start the 27th annual Iron Dog, they’ll be racing for a larger piece of a nearly $200,000 pie. Prize money will be awarded for the top finishers in larger amounts for the first time this year, said first-year Iron Dog Executive Director Kevin Kastner. That means the winner will still receive $50,000, but second through fifth place will earn significantly more.

“There are some racers who were concerned there is not as much payout at the lower (placing), but my goal is to continue to increase the funding so we could continue to pay out further down,” Kastner said. “By modifying the payout to the top five being the money positions, it sets the bar high. We want people to really push. When you’re the guy who’s been racing for a couple years and you finally finish near the top, you’re going to be really glad to have more money at the top.”

But for the racers, the Iron Dog isn’t all about the money, he said. In fact, the 30 teams that registered for this year’s race had no idea what the prize money would be.

“All of those 30 teams, at the time they signed up had no idea what the prizes were going to be,” he said. “That gives you an idea that it’s not all about the money; there must be something else.”

That something else is the lure of competition, bolstered by the Alaska wilderness and the history surrounding the iconic Iditarod Trail. The Iron Dog this year follows the trail’s northern route to Nome, then continues on to Fairbanks, nearly 2,000 in total.

And don’t be fooled by a field that, technically, shows 22 of the 56 racers having “rookies” status (of the 30 teams, two have withdrawn), Kastner said. While they may be rookies to the pro class, many are racing veterans.

Like Palmer’s Sgt. Maj. Pamela Harrington, who, with teammate Sgt. 1st Class Elaine Jackson, make up the field’s only female racing team. Harrington’s a Palmer resident and National Guard soldier who is respected as a fierce competitor and mechanic, Kastner said.

“Harrington’s been around for a long, long time,” he said. “And Elaine Jackson has been around for many years, too.”

Underestimating the pair because of their gender would be a mistake, he said. “In fact, Pam Harrington is one of the highest ranking noncommissioned officers in the whole National Guard, and she’s also a mechanic.”

Should Harrington and Jackson finish the Iron Dog, they’ll become just the second all-female team to ever finish the race, according to a story about the pair on the Iron Dog website, irondograce.org.

“To me, it’s one of those challenges I couldn’t help but say yes to,” said Harrington in the story, who is the command sergeant major for the Alaska Army National Guard’s 38th Troop Command. “We’re taking this seriously — failure is not an option. We’re running to represent the Alaska National Guard.”

There’s some extra pride associated with the team as the National Guard is the Iron Dog’s lead sponsor.

And don’t let the “rookie” status by the names of some racers fool you, Kastner said. While they may technically be “rookies” in the pro class, they aren’t new to racing.

“I think it’s not all that uncommon in the last few years to have quite a few rookies,” he said. “I think what that says is that the race is, and has always been, the pinnacle race in the sport. Everyone knows this is the big event, especially in cross country snowmobiling.”

Last year’s winners, Chris Olds and Tyler Huntington, will be looking to defend their title, Kastner said, and may have karma on their side, sporting the same Team No. 10 as last year.

For fans, the Iron Dog is more accessible than ever in 2011, the director said. In addition to live television and radio coverage from the start, at Nome and at the finish, fans can track progress in almost real time on the Iron Dog website with GPS trackers carried by the teams. Fans can also follow the race on Facebook, Twitter and through the event’s YouTube channel.

“From an event or fan perspective, it’s a significantly different animal” from when the race started in 1984, Kastner said. “We now have live television coverage with KTUU … and we’ll also be doing updates in Nome, because that’s a big rebuilding and repairing station; they’ll spend about 24 hours there, it’s a major pit stop.”

While the historic Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race can also be followed online, some features can’t be accessed without paying for them, something the Iron Dog doesn’t do.

“To follow the race on the Iditarod, you have to pay, you have to be an ‘Iditarod Insider,’” Kastner said. “For the Iron Dog, it’s free.”

The race is set to begin on Big Lake at 11 a.m., Sunday, but Kastner encourages fans to show up early to find a parking space, eat a pancake breakfast and participate in other fun activities before the race kicks off. A full schedule can be found on the race’s website, irondograce.org.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.

IRON DOG STARTING ORDER

1. Team 14, McKenna and Van Meter; 2. Team 16, Minnick and Oldstad; 3. Team 11, Palin and Quam; 4. Team 8, Aklestad and Johnson; 5. Team 5, Cherrier and McAllen; 6. Team 9, Johnson and Piper; 7. Team 29, Jones and Muir; 8. Team 12, Goodell and Willard; 9. Team 2, Sottosanti and Zwink; 10. Team 40, Marks and Marks; 11. Team 7, Davis and Davis; 12. Team 18, Hingsbergen and Williamson; 13. Team 21, Branholm and Spernak; 14. Team 20, Peterson and Swenson; 15. Team 5, Bloom and Falldorf; 16. Team 33, Bartel and Wichman; 17. Team 15, Miller III and Miller IV; 18. Team 10, Huntington and Olds; 19. Team 23, Green and Johnson; 20. Team 17, George and West III; 21. Team 27, Fuller and Long; 22. Team 4, Albert and Malamute; 23. Team 28, D’Amico and Glass; 24. Team 24, Bailey and Ridgon; 25. Team 30, Harrington and Jakcson; 26. Team 25, Price and Watson; 27. Team 31, Harrison and Potter; 28. Team 3, Dixon and Wold; 29. Team 13, Lowrie and Rapp (scratched before race); 30. Team 22, Berry and Gravatt (scratched before race).