Wasilla husband-wife duo ready for another Iron Dog adventure

As the third husband and wife team to compete in the pro division of the Iron Dog snowmachine Race, Hillarie and Tim Gossett both return to the course this year as Iron Dog veterans. If they cross the finish line this year, they will be the first husband and wife team to do so in the pro class division. Participating in the race is just as much part of an adventure for them as it is the competition. More importantly, it’s the lessons that participating in and finishing the race teaches their children.

“It’s important to us to model for our kids the process of setting a goal and reaching it and leading by example,” Tim said. “Showing the dedication and sacrifice that it takes to achieve something really challenging and great.”

The Gossetts grew up in Alaska, but didn’t start racing snowmachines until just a few years ago. Hillarie said that she had seen snow machines as utilitarian, and used them for hunting and covering country in the winter.

Their 11-year-old son, Grayson, became more and more interested in riding snowmachines competitively as he grew up. Tim became increasingly more involved with assisting Grayson and would eventually help develop Alaska Cross Country Racing, an organization promoting long distance snow machine racing for youth.

Not wanting to just be a sideline parent, Hillarie also became involved in the racing culture. She accompanied Tim and Grayson on one of their races, and decided she wanted to compete for herself. She competed in the Skwentna 200 in the first women’s class in 2021, taking second place with teammate Janaya Lee.

Hillarie would go on to compete in the Skwentna 200 in 2022 with Ashley Wood to take first place in the women’s division. Ultimately wanting to compete in the Iron Dog, Hillarie and Wood signed up to compete in 2023 and became the first female team to finish the full trail with the inclusion of the Red Dog Loop, placing ninth overall.

Tim competed with teammate Joseph Gugel in the Skwentna 200 in 2022, taking first place in the semi pro division. The two took first at the Skwentna 200 in 2023 in the pro division. In 2024, Tim and Gugel ran the Iron Dog for the first time and placed seventh overall and were the fastest rookie team. Tim also received the Rookie of the Year award.

This year, Hillarie and Tim will compete under Team 26 together as Iron Dog Veterans. The Gossetts have been racing for Team Polaris, and both will be riding the 2025 Polaris Cross Country, a machine only available to racers.

Training conditions were difficult this year, according to Tim. The Gossetts were some of the first people to adventure out on the trail this year and find snow early in the season. After temperatures warmed up, favorable conditions melted away and training became more difficult. Tim explained that teams usually put in upwards of 2,000 miles on their machines before the race to prepare.

Training involves studying trail conditions, pushing equipment to the limit and testing new innovations that the Polaris racing department provides their racers. On a long race like the Iron Dog, finding out how much abuse gear can take is crucial for figuring out a race strategy. By figuring out when gear breaks, teams can plan ahead by sending parts to Nome or carrying spares on the trail.

“The only way you test that in all the different conditions is to go and ride,” Tim said. “You’re finding out what breaks, how many miles it took to break and then rolling that into your race strategy.”

Training also helps to figure out the best layering solutions to keep warm, figuring out communication between riders and works on riding fitness. Hillarie stressed how important it is for everyone, especially women, to be physically fit to compete in the race. Maneuvering snow machines on tight trails, lifting and moving snow machines and just taking on the bumps and harsh riding conditions along the trail takes a toll on the body. In a race designed for men, Hillarie said that women have to work just as hard if not harder to be on a competitive level with other riders.

“I would suggest to any female that is thinking about coming into this race, you absolutely have to invest in cross-training and working out and lifting weights with a really good trainer that’s going to take care of you so that you can even at least show up to get on the snow machine and then start working through what the sled is telling you,” Hillarie said.

Besides battling trail conditions, the Gossetts are having to manage their time away from home this year while training for the race.

“Training rides are harder to come by both because of snow conditions and also because fielding a team from one household means we have to send the kids to the grandparents house and go out on our own, which is kind of against our instincts,” Tim said. “If we have the kids… we want to ride with them.”

The Gossetts will be running their machines similarly to the way they have in previous years. They will be adding studs for better traction on the hard trails. Family friend and Tim’s previous teammate, Joseph Gugel, helps them work on their machines to make them as durable and fast as possible. Tim said the preparations equate to hundreds of hours spent in the shop each winter.

With Tim’s knowledge in mechanics and his experience working on snow machines, Hillarie said she feels confident on the trail. She explained how close racers on the teams get to one another, often referring to their partner as an “Iron Dog Husband,” or “Iron Dog Wife.” Racers have to be able to function well together and play off of each others’ strengths, control their emotions and work as a team to finish the race.

“I think it’s great,” Hillarie said. “I think it’s super awesome that I have a teammate who knows how to wrench, a really strong mechanic... It’s really nice knowing that you have somebody out there on the trail that you can lean on when you’re in a situation of getting stuck, pushing past your threshold of speed, knowing that you have somebody who’s going to be able to help you a bit.”

Tim said he is a bit stressed because any troubleshooting issues on the trail will fall on his shoulders. He said that although Hillarie is familiar with the machines and how to work on them, she doesn’t have a previous formal education.

The Gossetts share parallel experiences from Iron Dog, but not together and not from the same year. As one of the three co-ed teams in this year’s race, Hillarie hopes that their combination of experience and drive will put them ahead of the competition.

“I’m excited to see what a male female team brings to it all,” Hillarie said. “We’re not the only male-female team… There’s two other teams that are male female and it’s going to be exciting to see who ends up figuring out the right equation.”

In a heavily male-dominated sport, Hillarie said she is starting to see more women step up and compete at the same level of competition.

“You're starting to see women coming out and showing up and saying we can be here and we can do this,”Hillarie said.

Hillarie gives a nod to other women who have been pioneers in Alaskan adventure. She referenced her mother-in-law, one of the first women to spend ample time flying in the backcountry. Hillarie has also reached out to women that have competed in the Iron Dog before her, dating all the way back to the first years of the race in the 80s.

“It's cool to be a part of the legacy that is women in Alaska getting on snow machines, generation after generation,” Hillarie said.

The Goessetts work to include their own children in the same adventurous lifestyles they both grew up in. Their son Grayson has been racing snow machines since he was 3 years old. Tim spoke about how they are training with their 6-year-old daughter, Parker, to become one of the youngest riders to make it to the Rohn Cabin and back riding on her 200. They plan on making the trip later this winter with Gugel and his youngest son, Levi. Grayson and two of Gugel’s sons will accompany them on the trail. Hillarie remembered how those kinds of adventures when she was young shaped her into the woman she is today.

“I cherish those moments, those are so important to me as an adult, a human, a woman and now a mother,” Hillarie said. “They’re scary at times and they’re tough, but I’m hoping that when we bring our children into that, they’re also having those experiences and trusting in our decision making and trusting in the reality of when something does go wrong, it doesn't pay to freak out, it doesn't pay to become too emotional about it. You just need to put your head to the ground and keep moving forward.”

Hillarie said they appreciate all of the support from their family, friends and sponsors. She said it takes a whole team to compete in the Iron Dog, both on the course and at home.

“When you see a racer cross the finish line, it’s not just that racing team that’s crossing the finish line,” Hillarie said. “There’s family and friends, community, business, sponsors, that are helping them get across. It’s pretty cool to see what the Iron Dog community is doing for each other and helping people get across that finish line.”

And while crossing the finish line is the objective, it’s not what running the Iron Dog is all about to the Gossetts. It’s about enjoying the adventure, accomplishing their goals and proving to themselves and their family that they can do it as a team.

“Points are stupid, that’s not what it’s about. It’s not about winning. It’s not about that,” Hillarie said. “Go have fun… no one cares.”