WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21, 2024 — When Scott Davis and the rest of the 2024 Ambassador Team rode into Elim two days ago, no fewer than 100 fans were lined along the trail waving signs and cheering them on. One young fan was so excited to see Davis– a seven-time Iron Dog champion and Iron Dog Hall of Famer – that he ran alongside his sled. Davis, for the first time in his career not on a clock, was able to slow down and let the kid jump on for a short ride down the road.

 “That kind of stuff sticks with you,” said Davis. “For 40 years of racing, I’ve never been able to do that. To just slow down and to recognize all these people who support this race and thank them; it was just great.”

 Indeed, that is what the 40th running of the World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race is all about: celebrating all the people, places, logistics, schedules, sponsors and fans who make this race what it is. From humble beginnings in 1984, the Iron Dog Race is now paying out a $225,000 purse, rewarding more than $60,000 in contingency prizes and attracting more and more competitive racers from around the country. But none of it could happen without the longtime support of the communities peppered across the trail. Volunteers and supporters have been showing up for this race for decades – and today, their sons and daughters, their grandsons and granddaughters, are doing the same. The Ambassador Team’s goal was to soak all of that in and show these communities that they are the backbone of the race.

 Robby Schachle, who with Brad George won the 2021 Iron Dog, was part of this year’s Ambassador team. Three other Iron Dog veterans, Cory Davis (2017 Iron Dog champion with Ryan Simons), Ashley Wood (2023 Iron Dog finisher and part of the first female team to complete the route with the Red Dog Loop) and Pat Reilly (Iron Dog Hall of Famer), accompanied longtime favorite Iditarod musher DeeDee Jonrowe and her husband, Mike Jonrowe; and Kristina Woolston, Iron Dog supporter, Donlin Gold executive and longtime outdoor enthusiast.  

 “We had a blast,” Schachle said. “Everywhere we went, in all the villages, talking to all the kids, was so much fun. You had a moment to actually just sit and talk to people and shake their hands and give them the time of day.”

 During his 2021 race, Schachle said he and George were able to slow down and give high-fives to the fans in Elim, but they had a race to win, and kept going after just a minute or two. This year, he said, he got to slow down and appreciate the moment.

 “They were, hands down, the most excited to see us come through,” he said. “There was a line of kids on the trail, and we got to talk to all of them.”

 Cory Davis said slowing down on the trail gave him more time to consider the incredible logistics that go into putting together such a massive race. In Poorman, for example, he sat with Iron Dog board treasurer Roger Brown, who manned that checkpoint.

 “You see the volunteers at the checkpoints, and you are aware of how much they are doing, but it was cool to talk with Roger just about getting there and hauling everything in and the work beforehand. There’s so much behind the scenes. That was really cool.”

 A common refrain among the past racers in this year’s Ambassador Class was that they got to enjoy the WHOLE trail. While popular layover points like McGrath, Unalakleet and Kotzebue get a lot of racer facetime, the smaller communities that supply fuel and food stops are often quickly passed.  

 “I’ve told lots of people from the first year that I raced Iron Dog that I wanted to do an Expedition Class one day,” Cory Davis said. “And it’s for all the reasons that we all expect – to see the trail more, to meet the people.

 “It was really cool to have the energy at the check stops to engage with people, where when racing, all I normally want to do is go to bed,” he added. “At all those fuel stops racing, you only have a short time, and it’s your only time to talk to your partner. So, you try not to be rude, not to be too busy for anybody, but you’re trying to do a lot.”

 Schachle said he brought along stickers, sweatshirts and other souvenirs to give away in the smaller communities, and fans appreciated it.

 “We signed posters, took pictures, and I even gave a pair of my extra goggles away,” he said. “They were all so great and excited to see us. It was heartwarming.”

 Ashley Wood, who completed her first Iron Dog in 2023, said she not only enjoyed the ability to see the trail at a slower pace, but also to learn from such legends as Scott Davis.

 “We had great leaders,” she said. “It was great because Robby is more new school and Scott is more old school so it was neat to see that dynamic and those differences, and learn from both.”

 While riding, the two Davises and Schachle kept everyone on pace, she said.

 “I saw a very mature side to Cory,” she said. “I grew up with him and we had that brother-sister friendship. On this trip, he was the trail sweep a lot of the time, wanting to make sure that everyone was getting down the trail safely, where Robby was our leader.”

 When the crew hit the ground storm sweeping the coast, it was Scott Davis who merged both tasks, she added.

“Anyone whose been in a ground storm knows how physically that takes a toll on you, and what impressed me the most was Scott being able to read that and keep an eye on us so Robby could focus on leading,” she said. “He jumped out front to keep track of the group, and Cory and I swept. Everyone played their role.“

 Logistically, riding in a group of eight – which winnowed down to six after Reilly scratched due to mechanical, and Mike Jonrowe stopped to nurse a sore wrist – took coordination, especially when encountering water crossings and low visibility. Scott Davis, the most experienced racer of the group, described the ground storm on the coast as “the Top 3 worst visibility days I’ve been on in 50 years of snowmobiling and 40 years of Iron Dog.”

 “It was bad enough that you couldn’t see in front or behind at all,” he said. “But everybody made it through, and here we are.” 

 Schachle, Wood, Davis and Davis said their Ambassador Team experience gave them a renewed appreciation for the race, created new friendships with fellow riders, and reminded them anew that Iron Dog is a race not to be trifled with. Anything can happen in Alaska’s wilderness and this year’s experience punctuated the accuracy of its moniker as the World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race.

 Asked if they would be toeing the line at an Iron Dog Pro Class soon prompted four distinct answers:

 Scott Davis: “Oh, hell no!”

 Schachle: (Noncommittal): “I don’t like this whiteout riding, but when times are good – absolutely; it’s so much fun.”

 Wood: “If you could tell me what the weather is going to be like, then, “yes! “

 Cory Davis: “Yes, I’m looking forward to do it again. I would hope for it to happen next year.”