The end is near: Teams collect at Whiskey Bravo for morning restart, and finish of Iron Dog 2025
Team 20’s sleds ready to go in McGrath this morning. Keith Manternach photo
What a race it has been – and it is still going. By the end of Day 7 on Friday, teams were beginning to arrive at Whiskey Bravo, the last holding spot before the restart Saturday morning, when the first team to cross the checkered flag will be crowned Iron Dog champions for 2025.
Once again, Team 20’s Robby Schachle and Brad George held their lead. They weren’t racing the fastest times of the day. Chasers like Team 6’s Mike Morgan and Bradley Kishbaugh, and Team 5’s Kruz Kleewein and Zack Weisz, made good time and shifted the makeup of the front of the pack. By 9 p.m. Friday, only Teams 20, 5, 7, 3, 4 and 14 had gotten to Whiskey Bravo.
“The race isn’t over ’til it’s over, so you can’t let being in the front get to your head,” Schachle said as he rested at Whiskey Bravo. “It can change with one mistake, or sled issue.”
That said, Schachle said he and George have had a relatively clean run other than his partner taking a spill outside of Nome. That crash cost them about an hour, but they recovered and are staying steady.
“Other than that, we’ve tried to just run our own pace, not get caught in the moment and run off other teams’ paces,” Schachle said. “We’ve always seemed to have better luck when we say, ‘our pace our race.’ ”
Other notables of the day:
Go Team Gossett!
Husband-wife duo Tim and Hillarie Gossett were holding strong today, aiming to be the first husband-wife team to complete the Pro Class race. Back in 1989, Doreen (Long) Moore and her then-husband Bill Long completed the Iron Dog together, but it was considered the Trail Class, even though they raced with other Pro Class finishers. Things were different back then.
“When I did it in 1989 no female had crossed the finish line,” said Doreen Moore, who at the time was married to Bill Long. “Bob Kowalke said, ‘We’re going to make that happen,’ and we did. We didn’t have the money to enter the Pro Class, so they just told us to enter the trail class to save the money. We still raced with the pros.”
That distinction means that Team 26 still has a superlative to claim. As of 8:30 p.m. Friday, they were racing in eighth position, having left Tatina at 6:49 p.m. If they finish, Hillarie Gossett will be the only female to finish this year’s race. Team 16’s Danielle Levine scratched out with her father early in the race, Tatina northbound; and Team 2’s Ashley Wood and Andy Gocke scratched out in White Mountain northbound, after Wood was injured.
Mechanical shuts down Team 12
Fan favorites Doug Wicken and Chris Collins had to call it quits in Galena southbound after experiencing mechanical problems and not being able to get parts in time to make it worth it.
Holy out-of-staters!
Team 23 from Minnesota were hanging onto the Red Lantern position until late Friday evening. They scratched after multiple mechanicals, but will be back again. Katie Kangas photo
If all of these guys make it, there will be SIX out-of-state racers who will earn their free entry into next year’s Iron Dog Race. True to his word, Iron Dog Executive Director has promised that any out-of-state racer who finishes the 2025 Iron Dog Race will earn a free entry into the next year’s race. That is in recognition of the above-average costs associated with entering the World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race. Out-of-state teams still in the race include:
• Currently riding in ninth place: Team 18’s Kris “Smasher” Kaltenbacher of Nevada, and 18-year-old partner Austin Carrol of Fairbanks. Kaltenbacher earned veteran status in 2024 and is hoping to improve upon his placement this year.
• 10th position: Team 45, Eric Christensen, a veteran from Wisconsin, and Alex Hetteen, a pro racer and Polaris engineer from Minnesota.
• Team 22’s Trent Johnson from Wisonsin stood in 15th position with Soldotna’s Tad Covault as of Friday evening. Johnson said his goal is simply to earn his “veteran” status.
• Team 15’s JP Bernier and Kim Bergeron came a hair’s width of finishing their first Pro Class race last year and are holding their own this year. The pair, from New Hampshire, are hoping this is the year. They were racing in 16th position as of Friday evening.
• In the Red Lantern position but still making their way south was Team 23 rookies Adam Stafford and Wyatt Halek-Hooper from Minnestoa. They were the sole remaining team racing on Arctic Cat, but at about 10:30 p.m. finally scratched out south of Ruby.
Racers are expected to begin reaching Big Lake, and the Iron Dog finish, by around 10 a.m. Saturday. Spectators are welcome. Visit www.irondog.org for details.