A resident from Soldotna is competing in this year’s Iron Dog race. He says that his top priority is to finish the race cleanly and effectively.
The Iron Dog, a race that has been happening since 1984, typically follows the Northern Route of the Iditarod Trail to Nome. Throughout the years, the length of the race has increased from 1,049 miles to more than 2,600 miles.
Starting in Big Lake, Pro Class racers travel over the Alaska Range to the Yukon River, then cut overland toward the Bering Sea coast. Once on the coast, they travel to Koyuk and then to Kotzebue via the “Red Dog Loop”. From Kotzebue racers head south reaching the halfway point in Nome. After leaving Nome, Pro Class Racers will reverse course to finish back in Big Lake, Alaska.
Local racer, 25-year-old Bradley Kishbaugh of Soldotna, says that a lot can go wrong mechanically during that time, so its important to not only pace yourself, but keep your stuff together.
“The two years that I’ve raced, we’ve experienced clutch failure on both years. Last year I broke a primary in half coming into White Mountain. And then my rookie year, let’s see we lost a helix. Coming into Big Lake on the last day, we ended up towing it and we lost the position by 32 seconds. So it’s important that you baby your equipment and get it to the finish line clean and efficiently,” says Kishbaugh.
Kishbaugh makes up only half of the team. His partner, 38-year-old Mike Morgan of Nome, placed first in 2018 and 2019. Kishbaugh says that the pair thinks very alike, and they both are always thinking one step ahead, making him very confident in his partner.
“We’re both mentally strong and physically strong. And they were just looking to do a smart race and keep our stuff together and run a consistent fast pace through the whole thing. We’re gonna push where we can and take it easy where we have to keep our stuff together,” said Kishbaugh.
In terms of packing, the duo packs very lightly. Items like tools, survival gear, a laser, and some spare parts for the machine are make up majority of what they carry.
Although some may be apprehensive attempting this race, this will be Kishbaugh’s third. He says that he loves the sport, and the community is something that really motivates him to keep participating.
“You know, some of these buildings, they let the kids out of school to watch the racers come through their hometown, so that’s cool to see. And down there you’re basically a celebrity. You know, we come through and all the kids want high fives and then places we lay over,” explains Kishbaugh. “The kids love it. The communities love it. They definitely look up to us racers. That’s really good to see. After a long hard day, it’s nice to come and checkpoint and see bunch of smiling faces and you know, people congratulate you and they also push you, you know? Words of encouragement.”
The World’s Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race will drop in Big Lake, Alaska, on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.