Iron Dog 2024: Defending champions scratch as Team 7′s hopes for 3-peat extinguish
NOME, Alaska (KTUU) - It is difficult to finish the Iron Dog, and even harder to win it. Minimizing mistakes is crucial, while many factors are simply out of a team’s control to run a clean ride and get to the Big Lake finish no matter the placement.
Winning it back-to-back? That takes a lot of talent and luck to come together.
As for a three-peat? Well there is a reason it has only happened once since the Iron Dog expanded to a 2,000-mile race from Big Lake to Nome and back.
On Monday afternoon, Team 7 riders Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad were forced to scratch in Buckland, putting an end to their hopes of winning three straight. Their sleds were later towed to Kotzebue.
The duo had paired up to win the previous two runnings and were gunning to tie the consecutive wins record shared by Scott Davis and Mark Carr from 1997 to 1999.
Aklestad described to Iron Dog media that he was hitting steel drums and other debris in the low visibility out of Buckland, totaling his machine that had to be towed to Kotzebue.
The remaining field of the 2024 Iron Dog includes just two past champions now: Mike Morgan of Team 6 and Chris Olds of Team 10, former teammates and champions together.
Pro Class riders raced out of Kotzebue and expected to reach Nome, the halfway point, Tuesday afternoon and into the evening.
Continue to monitor Alaska’s News Source for updates along the Iron Dog trail and follow the leaderboard here.
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