Kotzebue comes alive as town fills with Iron Dog racers
Team 19’s Chad Moore signs helmets for race fans during a meet and greet Sunday evening at the Kotzebue Lions Club. Johnny Dean photo
As twilight arrived on Sunday afternoon, a steady stream of Iron Dog racers began arriving at Kotzebue, where they will layover before making the push to Nome on Monday. This lull in the race is a much-anticipated event for Kotzebue race fans, with a series of activities centered around the race itself. Not only are events planned by the locals, but Iron Dog also is reciprocating. On Saturday, Ambassador Team 77 members presented two talks – one by Mike Buck on riding safety, and another one by Kris Kaltenbacher to inspire young people to be their best. Helmet program founder Doug Dixon followed by presenting new, full-face helmets and goggles to most of the Kotzebue kids in attendance.
Ambassador Team 77 rider Roger Brown helps fit kids with properly sized helmets during Kotzebue’s helmet giveaway program. Courtesy Roger Brown
“After the Ambassador presentations last night, we gave the kids tickets and I got on the mic and called out the ticket numbers for the giveaway,” Dixon said. “There was a girl sitting in front of me, and I’d call out a number, and she’d say ‘2-1-1-3’ just loud enough that I could hear. Finally, her number was pulled. We still had the new Fly helmets, and she got one that fitted her that was red. She was so cute and had a big smile. She said, ‘That’s the one I wanted.’”
Paulette Schuerch, who announces for radio station KOTZ-AM, said fans were already lining up along the sea ice to watch racers come in. Three Kotzebue teams, and one from Noorvik, were entered into this year’s Iron Dog, but after mechanicals and injuries brought an end to all their races, Kotzebue fans were left without hometown heroes for which to cheer.
No problem, Schuerch said. The fans in Kotzebue have plenty of love to spread – not only to the front-runners, but to anyone tough enough to tackle the World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race.
Dixon agrees.
Team 7 Tyler Aklestad and Nick Ousted was the first to arrive in Kotzebue and currently hold the lead. Johnny Dean photo
“When the Ambassador team got here last night, about 15 minutes before they arrived, the whole front street here was flooded with cars,” he said. “They started honking their horns and getting out of their cars. … I wasn’t here last year, but I have a feeling when those racers start showing up, this place is going to come alive.”
By 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 14 of the 15 remaining teams were into Kotzebue, ready for some much-deserved rest.
“We had a little mishap with Team 20,” Schuerch said of Dieter Strobel and Geoff Crouse’s run into Kotzebue. “They passed the Y out of Buckland and started heading toward Selawik (instead of Kotzebue) and then they realized they were going the wrong way. They were able to turn around and they are on their way.”
Others, like current leaders Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad of Team 7, have been resting since lunchtime. They were the first team to arrive in Kotzebue. Schuerch said the racers are invited to a meet and greet with fans at the Kotzebue Lions club, where the Northern Lights Eskimo Dancers will perform for them.
The Northern Lights Eskimo Dancers performed for Iron Dog racers during their Sunday evening meet and greet. "George “Radar” Lambert, in the black T-shirt, scratched from Iron Dog on Day 1 and made it home in time to race a local race — and perform with the group. Courtesy Paulette Schuerch
Aklestad said he loves the Red Dog Loop for the mental boost it provides and the contagious enthusiasm demonstrated by the fans.
“Absolutely, it’s a great aspect of the race, and Nick and I are looking forward to it,” he said. “We will definitely be there.”
Cold weather did throw a wrench into one of the planned events for Sunday. There were 120cc and 200cc kids races scheduled during the day on Sunday, but temperatures dipped below minus 10, the cutoff for cancelling kids events.
“It was 31 below with the windchill,” Schuerch said. “It’s cold, but it looks pretty nice out.”
Team 33 Kotzebue racer George “Radar” Lambert wasted no time after he and his teammate scratched out of Iron Dog early the first day. He hopped a plane back to Kotzebue (above left) to arrive just in time for the Kotz-Kiana race (above right). Courtesy Paulette Schuerch
While scratching in the Iron Dog is the least desirable outcome for any racer, Kotzebue local George “Radar” Lambert made the most out of his team’s first-day scratch after partner Michael Hensley was injured. On Friday, he quickly back-tracked to Big Lake, helped get Hensley to the hospital to treat his back injury, then hopped on the next plane back home. If he hurried, he thought, he could still enter the Kotz-Kiana Race set for Saturday morning.
Race host club Arctic Circle Racing Association delayed the race long enough for Lambert to get off the plane, rush to the start, and jump on the runners of his practice sled, which was there waiting for him. He was still wearing his Iron Dog gear with Bib 33 on his back. He took second place and earned $1,585 for his efforts, recouping some of his Iron Dog expenses.
“I hand carried all my race gear so I could go straight to the starting line,” Radar said. “They delayed the race for a half an hour, and I just made it.”
While disappointed that his Iron Dog race ended so early, Radar – demonstrating that easygoing, can-do attitude that makes racing this section of trail so rewarding – said it’s all good. He is thankful that Hensley will be OK and is looking forward to cheering on his would-be competitors as they come through his hometown.
“I’ve been in and out of there, and was just down on the ice,” he said. “I’ll cheer them on, and I’ll be back next year.”
Iron Dog Ambassador Team 77 members Roger Brown, Kris Kaltenbacher, Mike Buck, Dustin Pancheri, Leon Hot and Kellin Geisler have traveled the 2023 Iron Dog trail to meet with fans, thank volunteers along the trail and give back to the communities that help support the race. Courtesy Roger Brown