02/25/2025
Seeing as it may be a few years before I get to witness the magistery of it all again first hand... I want to share some thoughts about my travels up and down the Iron Dog trail. Having had a few days to get back to basics, now feels as good a time as any.
I would be remiss if I started this ramble without stating just how much I love the Iron Dog, its Racers, and the communities it travels through. I've loved Iron Dog, to my core, since 5th grade. It was then, during the week's race that I sponsored Todd Palin in Tanaina Elementary School's observation of the event where we had to write about and post updates on our racer as they progressed down the trail. (And mind you this was long before Facebook and the IRON DOG GROUP!) Todd won that year. I'll never forget that feeling! It was as if I crossed that finish line right along with him, I was instantly hooked. That is how sincerely Iron Dog Volunteers and Race Fans love the World's Longest and Toughest Snowmobile Race. I grew up with it- it now and forever will be an integral part of me.
Fast forward a many number of years while out on a practice ride with Timothy Cody, Joseph Gugel, and our sons for the inaugural Scary Tree Race, I found myself trenched out on my 800 in the Big Swamp at dusk. Thankful for Joseph's help in the matter my gratitude quickly dissipated as I was met with my husband's sharp tongue and a phrase or two along the lines of "...you've ruined our training run..." and "...you shouldn't be here.." Needless to say, it was a long drive home and although our helmets were off the volume of our voices seemed to remain the same.
You see, Alaska Cross Country Racing, was something that Tim and I and our friends started with the idea in mind that it would provide for ALL family members, get everyone out on the snow, use training time to be together. But there we were, yelling at each other about our "place" in it all. I was so hot I couldn't sleep and that same night I messaged fellow race mom Janaya Hartman about the Skwentna 200 to see if she would be my race partner. She said yes and next thing I knew Adam Hartman had sponsored our entry fees. Janaya and I took second in the race's first year with a Woman's Class... just think... two moms off the couch speeding over 90 mph down the Yenta... racing! Our husbands and sons also made their way to Skwentna to greet us at the finish line, but they didn't expect us to ride as hard and fast as we did! We blew the doors off the group of men and boys on the river as we turned up towards the finish line! Our husbands had a mutual level of stoke that neither Janaya or I had seen in a long time. I'm pleased to say that night ended much better, for everyone! 😉
Before we knew it Alaska Cross Country Racing had received the full support of our community so we added two more races to the mix, Torkelson Race, Scary Tree, Iron Pup. Over the next two years Tim and I and our friends threw ourselves into developing, marking, and mapping various routes for various ages and classes of youth riders. I became a sponsor for women's races across the state, improved my own riding and understanding of the machines, and soon my eyes started to drift back the Iron Dog obsession of my youth.
Trying to figure out a game plan and the kind of partner I would need to take on such a feat, Tim was the first person to say "NO!" At that time, despite having been on numerous long distance snow machine hunts and trips to Rohn together, there was room for improvement in our communication and support of each other on a sled. In '21 and "22 Tim and I become good friends with a couple teams and would support them with various parts during their long training rides. Then in '22 we decided to ride to Puntilla and help our friends Travis & Caitlin Elison and Andy Swenson & John Wagner with their sponsored checkpoint. Leah Bauer was racing that year and I couldn't wait to give her a fist bump at the pump! Being so involved that year and seeing all the teams race through, there was no way I would sit out another season. So I did what any girl would do... I reached out to my fellow Iron Dog Veterans: Kelly Sommer Bradley Kishbaugh and most importantly, Harriett Hamilton Fenerty about female finishers, their teams, and who might be a good option for a teammate. That is when Ashley Wood name rang out louder than any other. Her snocross win record was remarkable, she was a wealth of knowledge, she lived in my hometown, she had tried twice before and I had a feeling she might be interested in taking another crack at it. I was so excited when she said yes!
Preparing to become one of only two all female teams to complete the Iron Dog Pro Class was overwhelming, emotional, physically exhausting, and mentally... well.. a mind f**k. I took solace in building a dear friendship with Jackie Robertson, she and Missy completed the Pro Class back in 2001, they were the first All Female team to do so. Other remarkable familial supports were of course Cindi Herman, Todd Palin and Chris Graeber. Iron Dog 2023 had my anxiety high. It had been a few years since Ashley last saw the trail, I had never seen it above the Farewell Burn, and with the inclusion of the Red Dog Loop- we had no females to look to for advice. I remember throughout the race my teammate and I being remarkably dependent on one another. I remember tears, fatigue, anger, laughs, and gratitude. At one point in the race Ashley and I had taken a far outside line onto the sea ice between Koyuk and White Mountain, which wasn't more than inches thick... we rode next to open ocean and seals as the ice oscillated beneath our tracks. We were the only two women in the world doing what we were doing and we had eacother to share it with. THAT is a lifelong memory I will forever cherish! On the final leg of that race, Ashley and I rode our asses off down the familiar terrain. Crossing the finish line and being greeted by my beaming husband, children, and friends as we were able to prove Female Teams still had a place in Iron Dog... reminded me of that little girl in 5th grade.
The following year I agreed to take off as Tim forged his own path through Iron Dog. He and his teammate Joseph Gugel managed to pull off a top ten finish. They came home with 7th Overall as the Top All Rookie Team. '24 was a year I got to see what so many die hard Iron Dog Wives are stacked against. Wives, Mothers, and Children of Iron Dog Veterans sacrifice and give so much to this great tradition! They are so tuned into the tacker to be able to provide their racers with updates on other teams. They have all freighting and shipping specifics on lock down. They become family with communities out on the trail! They often know the tails from the trail before the racers do! Tammy Spain Barber, Heather Tuckness Sottosanti, Christine Douts Olds, could teach a master class in racer/trail support! Being able to see them before the race, out at checkpoints, and after crossing the finish line- they care so much for not just their racers, but the whole fleet! They are a force and it's inspiring watching them do what they do!
I guess the time has come to recap '25. Man! What a season. From battling new engines, huge thank you to Iron Dog Team #10 Olds/Sottosanti and Mike Morgan, to working out weather conditions, my biggest take away from the race this year- outside of our accomplishments and amazing friendships built, is my admiration for my husband. You know it's funny, this whole journey started out with a fight on a training run with our kid.. I signed up for a race as a f*ck you to my husband's comments... a marital blow up on the same Iron Dog trail nearly 5 years prior. The biggest intrigue to our fans being seemed to be whether or not the marriage would survive. And yet, here I am, having never been more enthused, proud, and in awe of the man I get to have as a life partner.
Tim championed me on my own race pursuits. He gave everything he had on his race. Then, when the time came to run together- he shouldered so much weight. He rebuilt 5 engines before we even crossed the starting line. He built all our practice and race shocks. He helped put in the trail. He was an open book to his peers and our shop was often filled with competitors sleds. He got the kids ready for school every morning I had a 6am workout. He talked me through our sleds. He helped me learn how to wrench. He surrounded us with the most remarkable support crew. On the trail, he knew when to push me. He apologized when he took things too far. He looked to me as an equal- with my own set of strengths that need to be celebrated, and weaknesses that deserve to be nurtured so they could improve. We saw so many amazing things on this last race. The sunset coming into Nome. The sunrise leaving Koyuk. The whiteout conditions in the Buckland Hills. Moose. Ptarmigan. Bison. The People! But I think what stands out most to me in it all... is reflecting on my husbands composure, his choice of words, his just keep progressing actions, his acceptance of the responsibility in the challenges he was faced with.... I love him very much.
Thank you everyone for these past 5 years while Tim and I immersed ourselves in everything Iron Dog. As Tim mentioned in an earlier post- we will still volunteer, we will still put on kids races, we will still take on spring races, we will still sponsor ladies rides/races, we will still be out on ridiculously long rides... but for now... our Iron Dog Veteran status is something we aren't looking to renew any time soon...
3 Iron Dog Pro Class starts. 3 Iron Dog Pro Class Finishes. And we love you all!
