As the day came to an end, Iron Dog’s Expedition Class riders began arriving into McGrath, where the teams will take a well-deserved break and also enjoy festivities centered around the community. 

A two-day celebration, the 2022 Iron Dog Days in McGrath, presented by Donlin Gold, is underway, and includes kids’ snowmachine races, safety presentations, Iron Dog celebrities Bob Gilman and Tyler Huntington, and meet-and-greets with riders and racers. 

‘It’s going to be a whirlwind of events,” said board member Doug Dixon, who with fellow board member Mike Vasser arrived in McGrath to prep for the event, just ahead of the Expedition riders. “We will be giving out helmets, and we’ve got an engineer from Polaris and the founder of Klim who are all going to be there.”

On Friday, kids poured into the event staging headquarters, where shiny helmets were lined in neat rows. “All the kids drove away with their helmets on,” said Renae Egrass, who took photos of the happy children.

Other events that will take place Saturday include an Elan challenge race and a 5 p.m. bonfire on the river to welcome in Pro Class racers who will be arriving later that evening. 

Meanwhile, back in southcentral Alaska, pro racers spent Friday readying for the big day. The first pro team departs the Curtis Menard Center in Wasilla at 10 a.m. Saturday. There are 28 teams in this year’s Iron Dog, 32 of those racers rookies, and 24 veterans. And of those veterans, seven are past champions, so it is anyone’s guess who will cross the finish line first a week from Saturday. 

On Thursday, while the Expedition Class was traveling through rain and snow on the trail, the Pro Class racers spent their day at tech inspection, meeting and greeting fans and sponsors. It was a welcome reprieve after last year, said 2021 Iron Dog champion Brad George, when COVID mitigation plans kept racers away from their supporters for safety’s sake. 

“It was great—it was good,” said George, who with partner Robby Schachle had several dozen fans and family sign their sleds, per tradition. “After the race, I’m good at talking with people, but yesterday, I had 30 other things on my mind.”

George, who owns an excavating and snow-plowing business, has been swamped with the recent snowstorms, and said he feels like he’s been putting in 20-hour days. 

 “Mostly, though, I appreciate my wife, my mom, my dad and my brother Ray, who is taking over the business while I’m away. With all this snow, it’s been crazy. I’m just eager to get on the trail.”

Media Contact: Bob Menne, Executive Director, Iron Dog Inc., (907) 854-0097 or (907) 563-4414,  director@irondog.org      

 Follow Iron Dog coverage at www.irondog.org and Iron Dog’s Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/IronDogSnowmobileRace