Iron Dog races through JBER for first time

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Robert Barnett
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Iron Dog snow machine race took place Feb. 21, and for the first time, the race started in Anchorage and drove through Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

"The Iron Dog is the world's longest and toughest snowmobile race; nearly 40 teams of competitors will cover 2,031 miles of remote wilderness and tundra from South Central Alaska to Nome to Fairbanks," said U.S. Air Force Col. Brian Bruckbauer, JBER and 673rd Air Base Wing commander. "Racers cover this grueling course in as little as 36 hours. "

To support the race's segment through JBER, the 673rd Security Forces Squadron provided designated parking areas and staff to direct residents and military identification card holders to the viewing areas.

"I am happy I can help others have a first-eye view of something they might not have the chance to see anywhere else," said Air Force Master Sgt. Tammy Miller, 673rd SFS NCO in charge of base access.

There were two viewing locations -- Dena'ina road and Otter Lake. More than ninety people watched the event.

"It's great that we're able to come out and see it all up close," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Roach, 773rd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operations section chief. "We're only a few minutes from our house. It's nice that they were able to get this to come through the base; it puts people a lot closer to the racers."

Morgan's family have kept up with the racers and participated in several performances.

"It was amazing, like always," said Morgan Roach, 15. "I've met Cory [Davis] a couple times. We've watched Iron Dog twice now. I was happy I got to high-five him today."

Iron Dog is a long distance cross-country snow machine race, said Kevin Kastner, executive director of Iron Dog, Inc.

"It's a team sport," he said. "They ride in pairs for safety -- they're covering literally 2,000 miles of some very distant and remote land. Anything is possible from an injury standpoint, whether it's weather or a crash."

This year, between pro class and trail class, there are 104 snow machines on the trail, with 37 teams in pro class, he said.

"The trail class [is] more of a recreational ride that just goes from the Big Lake area to Nome," Kastner said. "It's an addition to the traditional race in the same timeframe."

Iron Dog races began in 1984 with a group of snowmobilers who "had this bright idea of going to Nome, similar to the Iditarod. They use a large part of the Northern route of the Iditarod trail."

"They wanted to test the machines and man versus the conditions and distance," Kastner said. "That's really what it began as. Over the years, it's morphed into a bigger event. In the 1993-1994 timeframe the race was extended to Fairbanks. There was a race to Nome, then a race down the coast, taking the Yukon River to Fairbanks and finishing there.

"I've been in this since 2010; it was the year that we rearranged the race a little bit more to downtown Fairbanks," he continued. "We added a few more miles and a little more visibility. We also started working with Fort Wainwright to traverse through some of their live-firing area to get to Fairbanks."

Support from the Alaska National Guard was a key component for additional exposure getting Iron Dog into a much more visible area, he said.

"We've condensed our events -- it used to spread over three weekends," Kastner said. "We've got it down to ten-day cycle."

The events preceding the race were scheduled against the actual start, he said.

Kastner said the intent was to give back to JBER and the National Guard who had been supporting them and to provide an opportunity for the military families to come out and have first-hand access to the event.
 
"It's cool to watch the racers from the car as they come pretty close," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Walter McEwing, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. "With the rain and everything, it's really nice that we can just stay in the car and let the kids climb around and stick their heads out the window to watch the racers go by. I'd love to see it next year, and so would my kids. They really enjoy it."

"It'd be cool if we could ride a stretch with them [next time]," Roach said.