Iron Dog 2024: Where speed is everything — even while stationary — during wrench day
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - In the Iron Dog, speed is everything — whether that means pushing 100 mph on the trail, or while snowmachines are parked in a garage.
“You just need to keep moving man, you’ve got to keep going forward,” former Iron Dog champion Mike Morgan of Team 6 said.
Teams received a much-needed rest and wrench day Wednesday inside the Nome garage after four days and 1,400+ miles of trail through some pretty rough conditions.
Shocks, bolts, skis, A-arms, belts, chains, tracks — you name it, it is getting attention on wrench day.
Some teams were in and out within five minutes with some quick tightening and replacements, while other teams took upwards of an hour, if not longer, as they assess the machines and find more issues.
On wrench day, teams want to be efficient and effective.
“When you’re in here, you kind of want to slow down and do everything right because if you rush, you are going to stumble and trip over what you are doing and maybe miss something,” race veteran Casey Boylan of Team 14 said. “You just want to slow your brain down and do it right because it has to be done right in here or it’s going to fall apart out there.”
Boylan said racers have to move quickly as wrench time is added to course time.
They are competitors on the course, but once that helmet comes off, they’re on the same team.
“Other racers are better as friends than foes,” Boylan added.
Teams can receive two additional helpers on wrench day, which often comes in the form of other racers in the field. For example, Iron Dog champion Chris Olds spent much of the afternoon assisting other teams after tuning up his own machine.
“I don’t know, it’s hard for me to say no with the guys that need help,” Olds said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and it kind of gets my head out of not thinking about racing too. It’s kind of a little bit of a mental break for me to actually help these guys out and not think about the race.
“They’ll return the favor at some point, right?”
“It’s tough sometimes,” Olds continued. “You’re helping out the guy that’s real close to you, but at the same time, they’re all my friends, so ... keep it that way.”
After wrench day, remaining teams will begin to set their sights on making it back to Big Lake on Sunday safely.
“Look at the weather we are battling against; nobody wants to see anybody out there — out for dead, it’s not really a cutthroat deal,” Morgan said. “We want to beat each other, but we’re going to help each other as well, that’s what I love about Iron Dog.”
Teams say the machines are in much better shape than when they came in on Tuesday as the race to the finish is on. Team 39 is scheduled to leave Nome at 8 a.m., followed by Team 14 and the rest of the pack based on their arrival.
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