(ANCHORAGE, Dec. 27, 2023) – With 52 days before the start of Iron Dog 2023, racers are starting to get serious about training and prepping their sleds. We caught up with the top three 2022 teams to get a sneak peek on their plans for the upcoming race.

All three teams are back again this year, and all of them have their eyes on the winning prize.

Team 7, Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad; Team 10, Chris Olds and Mike Morgan; and Team 9, Troy Conlon and Shane Barber all share a similar race strategy, which is why they are predicted front-runners again this year.

“A lot of our approach to it is very process-oriented; we keep it very structured,” said Aklestad, who with Olstad cruised to a first-place finish last year, in 53 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds, six hours ahead of the next team. “We try to race without getting caught up in anyone else’s race; we are doing what we know works.”

Barber, who partnered with Troy Conlon for the first time in 2022, said that structured approach helped them to a third-place finish. They may have been new partners, but both are veteran racers who know to keep their cool.

“You just stick to your race plan,” Barber said. “What you see a lot of rookies do is people start passing and next thing you know they are trying to ride a pace that they didn’t train for. You can slow down and just run clean and you will be surprised every time how well you finish.”

Last year, that’s what Olds and Morgan did, relying on 12 years of racing together that gives them the ability to practically read each other’s minds.

“We know each other’s ins and outs; he knows what to expect from me, and I know what to expect from him,” Olds said. “I know how to read him as far as things like telling me to be careful. There are certain cues you kind of pick up on, over time, and that’s a big advantage, not having to start over with a new partner.”

Olds said to maintain their position, he and Morgan ultimately just needed to ride clean and get to the finish line safely.

“In some ways, it was kind of noneventful,” Olds said of last year’s second-place finish. “We weren’t really getting pressure from anybody behind us, but to get to the front was a stretch too.”

Shortly after crossing the finish line, Aklestad called the 2022 race “without a doubt the roughest Iron Dog I’ve ever done.” Throughout the weeklong race, that sentiment was echoed by racers and race organizers alike. Warmer-than-normal temperatures, heavy snow, high winds and flat light combined to create a race route that was bumpy and soft by turns, and often hard to see.

Barber was happy with Team 9’s 2022 performance as well – especially racing as new partners.

“I think overall, we had a really good race, and I was very impressed with Troy,” Barber said. “I’m pretty excited to race with him again this year.”

Barber said the 2022 race enabled he and Conlon to see what each was made of, to learn how to ride as a team – insight that can only be gained from experience. Now they know just how much further they can push.

“We did good, and there’s plenty of room for improvement where we can compete at an even higher level,” Barber said. “I’m at the tail end of my racing career and the younger racers can run a faster pace than what I’m willing to run at. We can run a competitive pace, too, but we have to be very efficient. Look at Chris Olds; he’s one of the oldest competitors, yet he manages to podium almost every year. “

Olds, 52, is one of the winningest racers in the competitive field this coming year, with four wins and five top-three races in his 21-race history. He is one of four racers this year over the age of 50, joining fellow four-time Iron Dog champion Todd Palin, and rookies Eric Christensen of Wisconsin and David Wagner of California.

This year will be Team 10’s 13th race together, and Olds said he doesn’t have any new tricks up his sleeve. He and Morgan will rely on experience, solid training and preparation – a system that has proven fruitful for them over the years.

“The big thing is to push to try and get our sleds done earlier than maybe we did last year,” he said. A long training ride or two in or near McGrath or Nome is also likely, he said, and of course being mentally and physically prepared is a must.

Team 7, meanwhile, have the bullseye on their back, and are looking to defend their 2022 title. Aklestad said one of the biggest ingredients to a successful race is having a machine that performs – as did their Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS 600s last year.

“We are very fortunate that our snowmobiles are staying the same, so our practice sleds will be the same, too,” he said, adding that it alleviates a lot of the unknowns that a new snowmachine setup can present.

Staying fit is key, too, he said, both physically and mentally.

“I think a lot of the race is so mental,” he said. Sure, it’s physically demanding, he added, but the mental challenge of racing hard on so little sleep is just as exhausting.

While racers are putting in miles and wrenching on their sleds, Iron Dog HQ has its own set of chores. Race organizers are putting in overtime hours building the race – which takes a small Air Force (no, really, the U.S. Air Force has volunteered to help with race setup). Sponsors are being inked, raffle tickets are selling, and logistics are being sorted out daily. The biggest news is yet to come, though: Stay tuned as we check in with Iron Dog Executive Director Mike Vasser as he reveals the 2023 race purse.