Pulling off the World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race is no small undertaking. It takes planning, organization, funding and execution. Every person plays a role – and no matter how small or large it is, their work matters.

That’s why this year – the 40th running of the race – Iron Dog Race, Inc., is proud to present three individuals with its highest honor: The Iron Dog Hall of Fame.

“The Iron Dog Race would not have survived 40 years without fantastic individuals like this year’s 2024 Hall of Fame Class,” said Iron Dog Executive Director Mike Vasser. “We have been grateful over the years to have such key people as Wilson Bourdon, Pat Reilly and Bill “Fish” Fischer to volunteer their services and time to the Iron Dog Race. The Iron Dog Nation thrives only because we are supported by so many individuals across Alaska. These three have been tried-and-true to this organization for many years and I am sure more to come.”

PAT REILLY

From its very inception, Pat Reilly has been part of the Iron Dog race. He signed up for the first-ever Iron Dog but wasn’t one of the 30 selected from a drawing among the 42 racers who were vying for a spot. Undeterred, he returned in 1985 with Mark Torkelson (Iron Dog Hall of Fame 2018), and the two finished eighth, riding Ski-Doos.   

After that, he was hooked, not only entering the race six more times, but also breaking trail for years and promoting the race to the public – once even appearing on the popular “Herb Shaindlin Public Opinion Hotline” radio show with fellow race supporter Tom Berkley (Iron Dog Hall of Fame 2008) to promote the race.

“Shaindlin said a light would go on when we were to start talking, and we thought they’d give us a heads-up, but we sat down and the light goes on, and he says, “OK, what do you two snowflakes want?” Reilly said. “So, Berkley and I stumbled around, and we got through the interview.”

Reilly has continued to support Iron Dog, both as a racer and a volunteer. His highest Pro Class finishes were second place in both 1989 and 1990, racing with Bob Kowalke (Iron Dog Hall of Fame 2008). In 2000, he and partner Steve Deptula won the short-lived masters’ class of the Iron Dog, a class that has not been repeated since. In 2002, he began flying support for Iron Dog, helping different racers throughout the years until retiring from that just before the pandemic hit in 2020.

This year, Reilly will be part of Iron Dog’s eight-person Ambassador Team, which will travel the course from Big Lake to Nome. Their mission is to visit with community members, spread a safety message, and make sure the people living in the communities along the Iron Dog Trail know how much their help is appreciated. Reilly, who hasn’t raced since 2000, said he is looking forward to it – not to be back on a snowmachine so much as being back in the communities along the race trail. It is why his work with Iron Dog perseveres.

 “The people in the villages, the racers, the sponsors, the people working the trails – everybody – they are a great group of people,” Reilly said. “In all the years we did all the races and all the trail breaks, we never got turned away for anything, and everybody wanted to help. They all wanted to have us in for a cup of coffee, feed us, stop and talk. They are just special.”

Iron Dog Board of Directors Vice President Keith Manternach said it’s about time Reilly has joined the ranks of fellow Hall of Famers with whom he once raced and rode.

“In all the years of Iron Dog, there are very few people who have been involved at such a level as Pat,” Manternach said. “In my opinion, he’s a Bob Kowalke-level of contributor. He was there in the beginning and is still contributing today. And here he is now, 40 years, later, in our Ambassador Team.”

WILSON BOURDON

With less than a month to go before race day, Wilson Bourdon is already at work in Nome. The first bundle of trail stakes had arrived, and he was monitoring the weather to see when the most opportune time would be to start placing them on the trail. He’s responsible for roughly 40 miles of trail – which can be some of the most challenging on the course – and every year, he gets the job done.

“I bring a hammer drill and a generator, and if I don’t have enough snow for a stake, I hammer it into the ground with the drill,” Bourdon said. “It will take me about three trips to get it done.”  

The lifelong Nome resident has been a fixture at the Nome checkpoint since the early 2000s, first working as a “grunt” for Nome checkpoint leader Nate Perkins until Perkins retired about six years ago.

“Nate was my buddy, and he got me hooked up with Iron Dog and we started working together,” Bourdon said. “He was always the checker, and I was always his relief. After he retired and moved to Anchorage it left me in charge, and I don’t mind. It keeps me busy, and I like to stay busy.”

Vasser said Wilson is one of those volunteers who just gets it done. When supplies are sent to Nome, the Iron Dog Board of Directors knows that Bourdon will simply take care of it.

“Wilson has helped volunteer for Iron Dog for 20-plus years, including staking the trail from Nome to White Mountain and back,” Vasser said. “He’s always out there when the racers come into Nome, no matter what the conditions are. Windy, cold, blowing or sunny, he’s always there. Iron Dog would not exist without volunteers, especially those in our remote communities.”

Bourdon said he is glad to help Iron Dog – he thinks the race is good for the community, and the race, 40 years strong, is an Alaska tradition.

“The Iron Dog guys are always easy to work with, and we try to make it smooth for them,” he said. “We try to help them out however we can – at the garage, mopping the floor, sweeping the floor, moving sleds around, or setting up for the banquet and taking down for the banquet. I always find buddies who are willing to stay up until 3 a.m., or 6 a.m. to do what we need to do.”

Bourdon said he is humbled to be an Iron Dog Hall of Famer – being part of the race is part of his yearly routine.

Once we get Iron Dog done, I’m crabbing all winter, birding all spring, and fishing all summer,” he said. “In the fall, I’m hunting. I’ve got my seasons planned out well. I live in God’s country, and I’m lucky.”

BILL FISCHER

After the first Iron Dog in 1984, Bill Fischer went in on a plane with Steve Karcz, with whom today he is a business partner of Lead Dog Helmet Lights. They bought the plane from Bob Kowalke, an early Iron Dog founder and Hall of Famer, who passed away in 2018.

So, when the next race year rolled around, Kowalke knew who to call on for Iron Dog assistance.

“He knew we had the plane so called on us,” Fischer said. “Steve flew race marshals and stuff for a few years, and we delivered fuel and stuff like that in the ’80s; just whatever was needed, we did.”

That’s the pattern that “Fish,” as his friends call him, has established since those early years. In the ’90s, he helped break trail with a crew of snowmachiners; in the 2000s he worked on logistics and the starts and finishes of the race. Today, he is the go-to for any chore in and around Anchorage – from manning the office to delivering program guides to helping at the finish and state of the race. He and Karcz are also donors to the popular Iron Dog helmet program that provides helmets, goggles and 450 of his company’s helmet lights to youth across Alaska.

There is really no job too small.

“Bill is a guy who does what he does for all the right reasons,” Manternach said. “He wants nothing to do with the limelight. He’s the kind of volunteer who does tasks without even being asked. He volunteers to our race because he loves the sport. He is one of the most amazing volunteers I have seen in my time. His dedication to our office is remarkable.”

Fischer, reluctant to take the limelight, said volunteers across the state help keep the Iron Dog running smoothly. He is glad to do his part, especially behind the scenes.

“I just do my little part,” he said. “I’m kind of the invisible man staying back to do my thing, and just go where I’m sent. I do what needs to be done, and like it that way.”

AN ELITE CLASS

Iron Dog Race, Inc. again congratulates these three gentlemen. They will be honored at the Iron Dog Awards, Hall of Fame Banquet and Raffle Drawing, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25, at Susitna Brewing Co. in Big Lake, 5120 S. Big Lake Road.

“We are privileged to get to work and spend time with upstanding individuals like these guys,” Vasser concluded. “Iron Dog Race, Inc., would not exist without volunteers and sponsors; this is truly the backbone of the Iron Dog Race.”