Iron Dog

Iron Dog,[1] originally known as the Iron Dog Gold Rush Classic and later the Tesoro Iron Dog, is an off-road snowmobile race across Alaska. It normally starts on a Sunday in mid-February.[2] At 1,971 miles (3,172 km), it is the longest snowmobile race in the world.[3] The 2008 event featured a record forty teams competing for a $100,000 purse, with $25,000 awarded to the winners.[4] The race attracted worldwide attention in 2008, when 4-time winner Todd Palin's wife Sarah contested the vice presidency of the United States.

Contents

Course

The event began in 1984 as a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) race from Big Lake near Wasilla, Alaska to Nome, Alaska.[5] It was extended by approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) at the 10th annual race in 1994.[5] The race route now follows parts of the Iditarod Trail, the route of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.[6] It starts at Big Lake and follows the main trail and its connecting trails until it hits to the Yukon River at Ruby. It follows the river to Kaltag before it heads to the Norton Sound on the Bering Sea at Unalakleet, Alaska and it follows the coast until Nome. Then it returns along the same path in the reverse order to Ruby, where it diverges off its original path by following the Yukon River and its tributary the Tanana River until the competitors finish in Fairbanks.[7] The current course record of 37 hours, 19 minutes is held by the winners of the 2009 Tesoro Iron Dog; Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad.

Safety

Races are typically run in temperatures well below freezing, and -20°F (-30°C) to -50°F (-45°C) air temperatures are common without taking wind chill into effect.[8] Some drivers apply duct tape to their faces to protect against frostbite.[8] The machines are equipped with tall windshields for protection from the cold.[8]

Drivers compete in two-driver, two-sled teams for their safety since they travel through remote areas of Alaska.[4] Teams are required to take three six-hour breaks between Nome and Tanana.[9] They also take a 42-hour break in Nome to recuperate before they start making their return.[10] Sleds are impounded during the break, ensuring that they rest since they are not able to work on their sleds.[10] Twenty-seven of the 40 teams entered in 2008 made it to Nome.[10] The race never had a fatality in its first 25 years, although there have been close calls.[10]

Winners

(Cumulative wins shown in parentheses.)

References

  1. ^ http://www.irondograce.org/
  2. ^ Scoggins, Dow (2004). Discovering Denali: A Complete Reference Guide to Denali National Park and Mount McKinley, Alaska. iUniverse. pp. 288. ISBN 0595297374. 
  3. ^ a b "Todd Palin, a blue-collar Alaskan, is multiple winner of world's longest snowmobile race". WPIX. D'Oro. http://www.wpix.com/pages/landing_election_news/?Todd-Palin-a-blue-collar-Alaskan-is-mult=1&blockID=45004&feedID=21. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  4. ^ a b c "Snowmobile racers prepare for start of Tesoro Iron Dog". Juneau Empire. 2008-02-10. http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/021008/sta_245574955.shtml. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  5. ^ a b "Iron Dog multimedia". Anchorage Daily News. 2008. http://www.adn.com/irondog/. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  6. ^ Wohlforth, Charles P. (2004). Frommer's Alaska 2005. Frommer's. pp. page 427. ISBN 0764579622. http://books.google.com/books?id=fEvukF19kpQC&pg=PA427&dq=Tesoro+Iron+Dog&sig=ACfU3U2NIxRbzCPvV2s6KdVQFtSE2bZVPw. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  7. ^ "2008 Iron Dog race route". Anchorage Daily News. 2008. http://community.adn.com/mini_apps/assetDisplay/?ref=http://media.adn.com/smedia/2008/02/11/02/333-IronDogRoute08Color.graphic_large.prod_affiliate.7.gif&summ=&sec=2749&width=731&height=507. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  8. ^ a b c Wilmot, Rod (2008-02-11). "Iron Dog pack peels out". Anchorage Daily News. http://www.adn.com/irondog/story/311441.html. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  9. ^ Medred, Craig (2008-02-15). "Minnick, Olstad overcome penalty, gain ground". Anchorage Daily News. http://www.adn.com/irondog/story/315790.html. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  10. ^ a b c d Medred, Craig (2008-02-14). "Iron Dog racers hit the trail this morning". Anchorage Daily News. http://www.adn.com/irondog/story/314786.html. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  11. ^ "Irondog Historical Statistics". Tesoro Iron Dog. http://www.irondog.org/results/archives/historical.php. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 

External links