Posted on 02/14/2020 9:52:29 AM PST by Qiviut
IMO, there’s more info on the Group page - locals reporting from the trail towns & along the route, etc. Ask to join (it’s public) & you’ll be added:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/irondograce/
I’ve got 3 tabs up - Iron Dog Group, GPS for the Pro Class & GPS for the Trail Class! I had 4 tabs up when the start was live-streaming (& the Daytona 500 on TV to see Trump - it’s now in weather delay). The Iron Dog Org FB (your link) is posting to the Group page, too.
One of my fave teams, father/daughter Larry & Dani Levine (#29) barely made it out of sight of the start line & Dani’s machine seized up. Bummer - hope they can get back out there.
Morgan/Olds, last year’s winners are making up ground after starting 6th.
Two Rec/Trail Class teams (77,63) that did the Kotzebue loop are doing well - I think they’re going to try a run all the way to Nome today. The other two Rec Class teams (71,68) skipped the loop & are just about to Nome - one of them ran into a log covered by snow & was rear-ended with that rider going over the handlebars for a “hard off”. The report was “stiff/sore” but nothing worse than that. With sled damage & the spill, they skipped the loop, went from Koyuk to White Mtn & spent the night - took their time getting on the trail today.
Northwest Arctic welcomes Iron Dog 2020
http://www.thearcticsounder.com/article/2007northwest_arctic_welcomes_iron_dog_2020
Part of article:
She said that’s especially true for the kids, who have spent the morning out in town waiting for more teams to come in. It’s a special moment for them, getting to see racers use standard issue village equipment to do extraordinary things.
“We’ve been gifted with a couple local teams (from the Northwest Arctic and Bering Straits) and I think, as this gains some years under its belt, some of our local boys here in southcentral and Interior are going to get their clocks cleaned by some of those rural folks because they are truly weaned on snow machines,” he said. “Here, it’s a pastime and a hobby, but up there, it’s a way of life. They are raised on snowmachines and simply, the familiarity they have from when they can walk is a true advantage for racing.”
The local pro class teams are Kotzebue’s own #34, comprising veteran racer Christopher Collins and rookie Jesse Crumbley, racing Ski-Doos, and Nome’s team #36, with veteran James Tre West III and rookie Daniel Stang, also racing Ski-Doos. Rec class team #68 included Kotzebue’s James Sears and Nathan Sheets, of Fairbanks.
Woodbury hopes having the Iron Dog travel through more rural communities will encourage more participation and rural entry in the years to come.
“I bet you in a couple of years, we’re going to have 10 teams from that region. I hope so,” said Woodbury. “We need to increase our rural involvement and those guys up there are good. Never underestimate someone who rides (a snowmachine) to school.”
Not only does the route shakeup make for a more exciting course for racers, it’s also a boon for the local communities.
“We sold 400 gallons of gas to the Iron Dog and it’s a positive event for the community to come together for,” said Kiana City Administrator Ely Cyrus.
The first racer into Kiana arrived in the wee hours and was greeted by a few early birds. The second saw a crowd of about 40 people who came out to watch, he said.
It’s been a group effort to get the village ready to have the teams in town.
“The city is donating housing and space at the heavy equipment shop if needed and myself, Larry Westlake Sr. and Brad Reich and Robert Atoruk are coordinating fueling and oiling and keeping track of racers times at the checkpoint,” Cyrus said. “We also had the trails staked into and out of town.”
In Kotzebue, local volunteers headed out onto the trail Sunday morning to check the conditions and make sure it was adequately staked for the larger group of pro teams due to arrive over the next day or so.
In this way and others, the Kotzebue Loop through the Northwest Arctic is part of a larger plan to reinvigorate the race, said Woodbury. It also returns the Iron Dog to its prior standing as the longest snowmachine race in the world.
Got video from Tanana .... team 6 FLYING across the river & fueling with another team close behind (5). The locals that get out there & send video are The Best ... makes it really fun to follow the race!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/irondograce/
I had just seen that about #29. Best of luck to them. :)
First Team into Tanana.
What an experience that must be for all of them.
Are all the machines 4 strokes do you know? Or mixed 2 and 4? What, no Tesla in those temps?
First Team into Tanana.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Isn’t that GREAT to see video? I love it when the locals send video ... you hear those engines, then “dots” appear, then you maybe see a little snow ‘plume’ and then they’re flying in.
Last year, I saw two teams coming in “hot” ... someone was filming on a corner & the sleds were on one ski!
45 delcared a 6 hour flex layover in FAIRBANKS. Didn’t even get out so they’re in town with Team 29. Someone was looking for a clutch puller in Fairbanks, not sure which team.
I think I heard someone say they’re 2 strokes, which are more powerful than 4s, & lighter too - handle better.
The folks are having trouble with their phones freezing, it’s that cold this year! Tanana is -16 right now so any wind chill & it’s -20,-30. Yesterday, they had wind chill advisories up at -55 (frostbite in 10 minutes).
https://www.facebook.com/team29levine/
“Update- Dani’s machine had issues about 10 minutes out. Lots of thanks to the friends and support team that are in place. Should be fixed and back on the trail soon. Updates and photos to follow.”
Saw it!
They just posted video from Galena “Iron Dog Days” - kids were some kind of bundled up, but having a good time! Currently -6, wind chill -28.
"Team 29’s Danielle and Larry Levine will be making Iron Dog history this year, becoming the first father-daughter team to compete in the pro-class race.
It wasn’t the original plan for the Levine's until Larry’s partner got a concussion this winter.
“Thanksgiving rolled around and the question came up ‘What does your schedule look like next semester, how light is it? Can you do the Iron Dog?' I said 'Yeah, it’s looking pretty good,'” Danielle recalled.
The soon-to-be college graduate currently attends the University of Nevada, Reno, and was able to fit training around her class schedule with the help of some accommodating professors.
“They have no clue what it is at all; I think most of them think I’m dog mushing,” said Danielle.
Pitching her professors wasn’t the hard part — it was convincing Team 29’s No. 1 fan on the idea.
“Mom is not too stoked. She’s supportive, but I think she is worried about the two of us together,” Danielle said."
They ran last year & finished (veterans!) ... it’s an interesting story & I love the father/daughter aspect. I followed them during the race last year & they’re one of my favorite teams this year. :-) SO disappointing they’ve had problems almost from the start - hope they can get back out there.
2020 Iron Dog – Day 1 Coverage
https://www.thealaskalife.com/blog/2020-iron-dog-day-1-coverage/
Excerpt:
Front runners covered roughly 400 miles today which included 4 fuel stops. The ambient air temperature in Fairbanks this morning was a balmy -32ºF when racers left the starting line, which adds yet another level of difficulty to this endeavor. Tanana race fans were reporting -44ºF to -49ºF degree temps for the racers.
Team 7 Aklestad/Olstad ran the 408 miles today and averaged 78mph. Mind you that all refueling and oiling of the machines, along with any ticky-tack maintenance is done on the clock. Team 39 is second at a 77.25mph elapsed moving average.
A sad development for Team 3 Boney/Unruh came in the form of them having to watch one of their Arctic Cat ZR 6000 R XC 600’s burn to the ground after it went up in flames due to over-filling the fuel tank which caught fire. Nobody was injured but Team 3’s 2020 Iron Dog has come to and end at the Bible Camp fueling station. [Picture of blazing snow machine at the link]
Early problems for Father/Daughter Team 29 Levine/Levine which had to tow back to the start line with engine troubles. Rumblings of ECU issues, but we haven’t heard anything concrete on what they were facing early in the race. You can hear Danielle Levine on the video below [at the link] explaining her issues to someone on her cell phone hoping to get an explanation and some assistance.
Hale brothers make Iron Dog history
https://www.irondog.org/news/hale-brothers-make-iron-dog-history
From link:
Team 77, the Recreational Class team of brothers Israel and Joseph Hale, made history today, as they crossed the finish line in Nome at 10:12 a.m. Monday, Feb. 17. They were the first recreational class team to complete the 1,000-plus mile course from Fairbanks, through the new Kotzebue loop, and onto Nome.
Israel Hale is the first double-leg amputee ever to compete in the Iron Dog race. Since its inception in 1984, no amputee has ever competed in the Iron Dog — much less a double amputee without prosthetics.
“We are very thankful and proud to be here,” said Israel, 33, an hour after arriving in Nome. “We were in a whiteout all the way here; you couldn’t see the ski in front of your sled.”
Hale said a few things stand out in this year’s race, the highlight of which is the warm reception from the villages.
“Going up to the Kotzebue loop was so incredible,” he said. “The greetings we got and the anticipation we got was amazing. They’d be streamed out all along the village for a mile along the river, lined up cheering us on. We were getting pictures with all the kids and they made us signs that said ‘Go Team 77.’ They treated us like celebrities. The feeling you get from that is like nothing else. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
As a practice run for the Pro Race, the Hales’ game plan included pushing their limits. Israel lost his legs after an accident in 2012 when another vehicle plowed into him while he was repairing a trailer alongside a road in Anchorage. But he didn’t want the loss of his limbs to hinder his aspirations. He and his brother, Joseph, went into the recreational class race with the intent to test their skills and race the whole way. Their ultimate goal is a Pro Class start in 2021.
More at link.
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