Long and winding Iron Dog road a victory for all finishers
Team 5, in third; Team 7, in first; and Team 10, in second, celebrate their Iron Dog 2020 podiums on Saturday.
Team 7, Tyler Aklestad and Nick Oldstad, are your Iron Dog 2020 champions.
The pair, who led the way the entire race, crossed the Big Lake finish line at 1:18:37 p.m. Saturday, after what many are calling the most challenging Iron Dog race ever. This year’s race was revamped to start in Fairbanks and include an additional 375-mile loop that passes through Kotzebue. The additional mileage, along with extreme weather, took its toll on the machines and riders, and as of Saturday afternoon, there were only 11 teams left of an original roster of 29 teams. Four of those remaining 11 teams were rookies, including the Red Lantern Canadian racers, Mark Fosty and Ben Hildebrand from Manitoba, who Alaskans rallied around to finish.
Aklestad and Olstad had four previous wins between them — Aklestad in 2016 with Tyson Johnson, and Olstad in 2014 and 2009 with Todd Minnick, and 2005 with Marc McKenna. This is their first time finishing the race together, setting the new record of 50 hours, 8 minutes and 3 seconds on the new course.
“It was a little challenging this year; we had the weather against us and a ground storm challenging the racers,” said Iron Dog Board of Directors member Doug Dixon at the finish. “But it turned out well – we had a lot of volunteers in Kotzebue and the other communities and we thank them.”
Team 37 racer Mark Fosty went into overflow in the south fork of the Kuskokwim River and Team 22, Tyler Samuelson and Jonathan Egrass, and Team 24, Luke and Konrad Schruf, helped pull him out. The three teams arrived in Big Lake late Saturday night.
Racers continued to stream in throughout the day and into the evening. Two-time defending Iron Dog champions Chris Olds and Mike Morgan (Team 10) captured second place, and Team 5, Brett Lapham and Zack Weisz, made the podium in third. Team 7 had more than a two-hour lead over Olds and Morgan, and Olds and Morgan were nearly two hours ahead of Team 5.
Morgan, at the finish line, said the large gaps in times shows just how different this year’s race has been than in past years, where sometimes the time between first and second place is mere minutes.
Four more teams came in before nightfall, including the first all-rookie team, Team 21, comprised of brothers Kazmir and Zachary Cizmowski. The Cizmowskis, of Healy, said they had a relatively clean race, and only had to spend approximately 23 minutes in the garage in Nome, when racers are allotted shop time for repairs. They also broke two A-arms while on the Kotzebue Loop but were able to repair those while on the trail.
As of 8:45 p.m., four more teams still remained on the trail. Teams 22, 24, 8 and 37 were traveling closely together and coming past Shell Lake by 9 p.m. Dedicated fans stood on the cold lake, shooting off fireworks and honking horns to welcome the trail-weary teams in.
First came Team 8, Chad Gueco and Andrew Zwink, just before 9 p.m. Team 22, McGrath rookies Jonathan Egrass and Tyler Samuelson; Team 24, rookies Konrad and Luke Schrruf; and Team 37 traveled together for much of the return from Nome, with Team 22 eventually breaking off and arriving just after 9 p.m. Teams 24 and 37 however, got lost just shy of Big Lake. Eventually, just after 10 p.m., they found their way.
Iron Dog executive director John Woodbury thanked Teams 22 and 24 for their camaraderie and sportsmanship as they helped Team 37 through the Alaska countryside they know so well. At one point, Mark Fosty’s sled swamped in the south fork of the Kuskokwim River, and the Alaskan teams tied two sleds together to pull the Manitoban out. Teams 24 and 22 showed true Alaskan spirit, Woodbury added.
“Despite a day full of broken parts, snow-laden trails and no sleep, both race teams were all smiles at the finish,” Woodbury said.
Order of Finish
TEAM NAME RUNNING TIME
Team 7: Nick Olstad & Tyler Aklestad 50:08:03
Team 10: Chris Olds & Mike Morgan 52:49:55
Team 5: Brett Lapham & Zack Weisz 54:38:34
Team 12: Kenneth Kleewein & Kruz Kleewein 56:59:17
Team 17: Todd Palin & Troy Conlon 61:28:39
Team 49: Klinton Vandwingerden & Andrew Gumley 61:54:07
Team 21: Kazmir Cizmowski & Zachary Cizmowski 62:26:10 Rookies
Team 8: Chad Gueco & Andrew Zwink 70:10:59
Team 24: Konrad Schruf & Luke Schruf 75:49:42 Rookies
Team 22: Jonathan Egrass & Tyler Samuelson 75:51:21 Rookies
Team 37: Mark Fosty & Ben Hildebrand 87:36:24 Rookies