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Someone has to Win - On Iron Dog Saturday
Team 10 >>>>> 2018 Champions. They pulled it off....with barely five minutes to spare...... the clock tower was ringing as background music when Chris Olds & Mike Morgan arrived in Fairbanks at high-noon on machines that were in straight up condition. Chris takes home his third championship.....as for Mike there won’t be another day like Saturday....it was his first Championship in the World’s Longest Toughest Snowmobile Race accomplishing his goal set seven years ago.
Disappointment and frustrations in recent years are erased as Chris takes his spot on the Triple Crown List. Wild dreams do come true, he has told few people --- and when he shared it with me I got goosebumps and my emotions caught up to me....he vividly remembers dreams of a first place finish before each of his three Championships.....Wild dreams do come true!!! Chris says the third time was just as sweet as the first -- it doesn’t get old. It will be the day Mike remembers forever; there will never be another like it.
The Iron Dog bond of friendship strengthens in the daily work it takes to prepare for a 2,000 mile race.....fueled by an intensity that happens on the trail when trust allows a racer to push beyond what he/she believes is possible....Mike and Chris each know that they just finished 2,000 miles with a buddy that has become a brother in a way that few of us will ever experience.
This partnership started seven races ago....when Mike worked with Chris and Tyler Huntington racing to their second Championship in 2011.....25 year old Mike worked in the garage and flew with team pilot Stan Morgan --Mike’s father....when Tyler decided to not defend his championship....room was made for Mike to sign up with Chris. The duo invested in a package deal, two racers, two machines, 365 days of work to deliver the goods....after seven attempts.....their work paid off.... recognizing their strengths whether it be in the garage where Chris excels, or swapping places on the course where someone has to be the leader and someone has to eat snowdust. After a bad enough crash that broke Chris’s back a couple years ago, taking the snow dust position seemed just fine to Chris. With Mike’s high speed throttling Team 10 was always on the short list of favorites ---- Chris helped harness Mike’s young energy to preserve man and machine. Mike is strong enough - he can lead for 2,000 miles, but it’s the performance of balance that happens between two partners that brings it home - cues that don’t require words, a nod or a smile with the eyes say it all....come on Bud let’s rock!!!
Iron Dog partners admit ....tempers flare, personalities clash causing team names and team numbers to flip flop year to year....I tend to believe that Team 10 won’t dissolve because of anything more than maturity.....Chris being 46, he recognizes it is more difficult to make a fourth dream come true --- not unheard of but chances are more challenging. The seven year partnership has tested......nerves, effort, knowledge, being leaders and being followers, recognizing each other’s motivations, these are the spicy ingredients needed to form a lasting partnership based on Great Balance and accomplishing goals....Iron Dog goals.
Shrinking course times affect how Champions need to prepare not only to defend but to put themselves in position to perform at the highest levels again. This year Chris believed their advantage was understanding their sleds. The perfectly modified racing sleds looked almost show room floor quality at Nome and Fairbanks which indicates a complete understanding of the machines. Minimal mechanical, great trail conditions despite the miles of new snow and storms. Chis experienced a hefty get-off near Koyuk, southbound---his first thought was sacrifice himself for the sled ....soaring through the air landing in a “scorpion”, he managed to kick the sled -- hoping it landed track flat and luckily it did......Mike being the leader -- didn’t even know---Chris hopped back on and did what you do if contending......hummmf no biggy.
In my 22 years of Iron Dog I had to ask what it meant.....scorpion....turns out it’s the move a racer experiences when going airborne to land in a chest bump with his legs bent in such a way they bonk the helmet upon landing.....I could visualize it after Chris explained, can’t imagine doing it at 70 MPH ---- get back on at full throttle to the next checkpoint. ARGH!!!!
Racers need motivation to keep coming back year after year,,,,,some do it because they want the Championship, others do it because they want bragging rights for life – a finish. Chis has accomplished both, his motivation being his family, friends and fans they keep him coming back, when it stops being fun he will set his sights on the future and it includes a Trail Class run with a couple kids – Miss Haley and Miss Mya.....Champions have done it before to give their kids a first-hand look of Alaska backcountry few of us experience, it is remote, it is rugged, it is Iron Dog.
Mike and Chris you have created memories that you will cherish for years to come, glad you have done the same for me......I am always astounded by the emotion in which I write about an event that has been my February for 22 years. Your race came to life on Wednesday – “One Day Makes a Difference” in Unalakleet you were in second place, taking off after a good long rest and that pre-course training run helped you lay down the track line that the rest of the field followed.....careful preservation of man and machine, with just enough speed to maintain a lead that came down to just four minutes at the end of the day. Chris your admission that the future of this race rests heavily on the shoulders of the “Next Generation” helps us understand the statement you made at the Award’s Banquet --- “There is fast and then there is Robby & Brad fast”.
Chris IS NOT saying his racing days end in 2018, what he suggests is --it might be time to consider how “Generation Zoom Zoom” they effortlessly throttle this race to new realms and are the “Future in this Race”.....it wasn’t many years ago this race was finished in average times of 40+ hours and now is regularly charting times in 30s --- records are going to be shattered.....I wasn’t able to confirm if the half-way time was broken but I can’t remember another year where the course time to Nome was less than 21 hours.....
My sincerest congratulations to you Team 10 - Mike Morgan and Chris Olds you made our week worth it. 2018 Iron Dog Champions 2,031 miles in 36:54:49 Chris you have contributed to my lasting excitement since you walked in the Iron Dog doors back in 2000 to sign on the dotted line. Congratulations on your Triple Crown performance and joining a short list of Elite Iron Dog Athletes.
Thank You all Iron Dog drivers, I am on my final Layover. I will compile data to analyze and store in my personal database which I have come to realize is pretty valuable and might have to be insured. I met some incredible fans and racers this week on Facebook pages, live feeds and update reports that were as fast as the racers. When a race comes in stages and the field moves as a group through five regional segments it is virtually impossible to know enough .... the race happens too fast... I embrace and accept the changes that happen – for the folks that attempt to manage a race forcing Plan A-Z kick into high gear......it might feel like it’s impossible but we know differently....it is possible, it just happened and it was FUN.....making a wish list of changes will only make it better for the year to come....and meantime let us celebrate another year in the books.
Signing off .....on my final LO.... Sunday February 25, 2018.....
~~~ hlf, #irondogmaiden #denmother #irondog2018 #irondog #alaska #someonenamedharriett
Photo Credit: Jesse Davis Images: Location of Photo: Just upstream of Moose Creek Dam , where the racers come down off the Chena Lake flood plain onto the Chena River.
Iron Dog Team #10 Olds/Morgan, https://www.facebook.com/irondogteam10/
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222 Miles this is how I see it....
I may not be accurate but I trust my instincts and I think it is close
It is all about the numbers this morning......and a few WILD GUESSES
I discovered something about myself last night at 11 pm.....I am a story teller, not an MIT graduate and mathematician....I am going to leave all that to the computers the HQ and trust their numbers,....that being said, I remind myself I am a story teller......with some facts stored in my tired brain this morning.
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222 miles from Manley to Fairbanks is usually 4 hours 34 minutes run time.... steady throttle, no hiccups a comfortable cruising speed....some will do it faster and others will do it slower....the top 10 listed below will do it as they have all done it so far,,,,,,fast, fast, fast....
So after doing some quick desktop math the old fashion way.....no computers, no auditors, just me and my pencil and paper this is what I see:
#10 Manley out 7:54 AM #16 Manley out 8:22 AM #6 Leaves Tanana out Manley 8:56 AM #2 Leaves Manley 9:45 AM #30 Leaves Tanana out Manley 9:46 AM #8 Leaves Tanana out Manley 9:56 AM #20 Leaves Ruby 7 AM out Manley 10:30 AM #14 Leaves Tanana out Manley 10:42 AM #4 Leaves Manley 10:45 AM #11 Leaves Manley 11:14 AM
If you trust me.....Expect to see the leader board rearranged today....equipment becomes the best teammate today, wrenched to perfection leaving the start line last Sunday, re-wrenched in Nome leaving just yesterday morning ----this is where no matter how fast a racer steers a machine going 87 MPH belts, pumps, pistons, pressure ridges will be what keeps them in high alert today....competition is fierce to protect minutes and gain time and position.......
Temperatures on the course today:
Ruby +9 Tanana -9 Manley -6 Nenana +5 North Pole -5 Fairbanks +1
Pretty fitting since that is what these racers were going for ....to take the #1 spot, be a Champion.....it is sno-go time in about one hour!!!!
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Trivia and Facts that seem pretty interesting to me this Saturday morning....
Not a single scratch from racers that left Nome.....pretty cool and....... Team 23 pushed the limits doing 639 miles before taking their single layover. Those two have some stories to tell from 2018 that will be legend.....Ptarmigans and pulling a throttle for over 12 hours without a layover, seeing their GPS flag in front of the field....I hear it might become a wall size poster and a memento that is what brings this race to life for so many, it isn’t always about being a Champion, it is about setting personal goals and living the dream........and if it includes ending a race to hold a big trophy and make a few bucks in purse winnings......then those are all bonuses.
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Who will take home the big metal of 2018? Let’s find out .....for the fourth time in a week,,,,we have a restart......this time it is for real.....tick tock!!!!
Best of luck to all the racers heading for Fairbanks Finish Line Saturday, February 24, 2018.......
Varoom Varoom!!!!!
~~~ hlf, #irondogmaiden #denmother #irondog2018 #irondog #alaska #someonenamedharriett #irondogstoryteller
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Fun - Furious - Friday
Day started in the early morning hours in Nome, where the first team left at 4:00 AM.....LO have been declared and the race continues and there will be more LO to do before the night ends...... It wasn't just racers on the move today.....Volunteers, Family, kids, puppies, sponsors, pilots, Bed & Breakfast or Lodges were all the extra moving parts that make our Friday Fun & Furious. Look for more action tonight as teams move on to the second LO.....nobody has taken the leap and headed straight to Manley...but there is still some racing to be done!!!!! Just like today...we will add to this album as the next 10 hours unfold.....
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He-could-go...all...the...way!
4:00 AM I bet you have heard that phrase before.....not when it comes to Iron Dog ---- but---- in keeping with the happenings of 2018.....no reason that we can’t adopt a football term.....it seems somewhat appropriate after the way this week has unfolded.
For the first time in Iron Dog history ---racers get a “chance” to take just one layover on a course that has typically been broken into two or three layovers . Tomorrow, racers can gamble and toss a 2 LO strategy out the back door and do exactly what the NFL announcers scream on a field play in that deep guttural radio voice..... He-could-go...all...the...way!
It will take guts to make that kind of strategic call....700 miles from Nome to Manley, no rest....I seem to remember my first Iron Dog, back in 1997, when Mark Carr & Scott Davis did exactly that.....running from Galena to the Wasilla finish line ---658 miles with no layovers.....when I talked with Mark Carr in May, 1997 three months later -----his fingers were still numb.....the course was dramatically different in ’97 ---Carr/Davis were pretty stoked about throttling 2,000 miles in 61 hours and 08 minute. The beginning of their three-peat record that remains unsurpassed.
So tomorrow we may be in for another day of all out racing, teams hope to run and beat Mother Nature or pace themselves so others will break trail. The Mighty Yukon from Ruby to Manley has plenty of fresh wet deep white stuff that might be pretty but will have the dreaded overflow camouflaged and whatever shallow tracks made days ago are completely blown away because this section of the trail doesn’t see much local traffic.
Express Checkpoints of Shaktoolik and what the racers call “60 mile” - now described as Express Fuel to Tanana are NOT layovers....there is no mandatory hold in Tanana and Manley is now considered a Layover.....that is 698 miles of pure Cross Country Racing ripe for the picking.
As of 5:15 PM all but Team 16 had completed their on-the-clock work time.....adjustments will be made to the start order and positions based on time accrued today in the Garage. Team 2 appears to have worked the longest at just over one hour to swap out a piston. Team 8 completed their work in 14 minutes 11 seconds......all other teams seemed to keep it to less than 10 minutes with a couple exceptions. Look for an adjustment to the time sheets before morning....or later tonight
https://www.irondog.org/race-announcements/
Assuming you are reading and understanding the LO changes on this announcement page.....racers are going to have to shift gears and rethink their original strategy. Because in 2018 for the first time....theycan follow their dream.....run a cross country race with a single stop at milemarker 698!!!!
~~~ hlf, #irondogmaiden #denmother #irondog2018 #irondog #alaska#someonenamedharriett
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Stake to Stake Racing
What happened to our Wrenchin’ Wednesday? Well it became “Wheel Rollin Wednesday” bogey wheels that is..... 192 miles of good ol’ Alaskan Cross Country Racing. Team 10 posted time of 20:48:50 for the first 1,000 miles -----shredding an Iron Dog Half-Way record.... because of that accomplishment they are packing home some heavy metal.....$10,000 worth of Donlin Gold. It seemed so fitting on the Iron Dog’s 35th Anniversary of the World’s Longest Toughest Snowmobile Race originally known as Gold Rush Classic. Records for course times can be found on the Iron Dog website https://www.irondog.org/race-results-archive/ Note: the first 9 years of Iron Dog racing was just 1,000 miles from Big Lake to Nome....in 1984 the race began in McGrath so the course mileage was reduced significantly. A different race back then for sure, parts had to be carried, the rules weren’t as defined and the equipment didn’t have the Cadillac suspension of the highly modified 2018 race sleds.
After sitting for an unprecedented 30 hours on a weather hold racers were antsy until Wednesday morning.....anxious to get moving. Making the most of an unexpected hold they were able to wander and explore Unalakleet for more than parts, they spent hours enjoying a warm bright spot to trade trail stories that might seem fokelore, but they never are!!!! You can’t make this stuff up.....in fact I saw a comment on social media....”there should be a reality show”.....not a bad idea however, knowing the logistics of this event it’s not likely Hollywood producers would know what Stake to Stake Racing is.....but the 62 drivers that crossed Norton Sound certainly do. The storm that brewed off shore settled in at Checkpoints all along Norton Sound Tuesday evening through Wednesday oh-dark-thirty .....by 3 PM in Nome there were only 9 of the 23 teams in and the last wouldn’t arrive until dinner was served at the Half-Way Banquet just past 7 PM. Mother Nature reduced visibility to about a football field distance --- racers expect wind and snow.....but rain.....not so much! Those winds continued to wreak havoc on the very foundation racers expect to use to their advantage.....relatively flat wide open ice...they didn’t find much flat ice, however the opaque atmosphere gave them 100% flat light.....nothing comforting about that except when you can see a stake every 20 feet .....racers are focused on a point out front more in the range of half a city block so when line of sight is reduced to 20 feet, reaction time is completely eliminated...... Luckily there were no eliminations on Wheel Rollin Wednesday......not a single Scratch.....”Tool Thursday” coming right up......expect to see Tool Thursday take care of that......chitter chatter on the Tundra Telegraph says repair times will nudge into the hours for some.....possibly rearrange the leader board.....only time will tell....as of 11 PM Wednesday night, most all racers had completed their 15 minute off the clock inspections.....retreated to the comfort of their Layover home room and will form an efficient plan to add just minutes to their hard earned Course time. Cover planes are scattered from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Koyuk and Nome....Commercial Airlines have been unsuccessful meeting scheduled departures – thwarted by storm winds and freezing rains.....this means much needed parts aren’t where they are supposed to be.....racers will have to make efficient use of time on the clock to preserve precious positions.....the Thee Ps of Iron Dog...... Thanks for the great racing put on so far 2018 Pro Class. This Fan is on a half-way LO, giving my eyes a much needed rest -- can’t wait for my reboot on what I will call Friday’s F5 Folly when we restart our bad habit of hitting the refresh button a million times an hour!!!!! If you are a fan like me.....enjoy your much needed rest from gawking at the computer screen and wish that the racers have some great weather on Friday that won’t be as dependent on that term ---- Stake to Stake Racing!!!! ~~~ hlf, #irondogmaiden #denmother #irondog2018 #irondog#alaska #someonenamedharriett
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DAY TWO OF RACING---MAD MONDAY
Racers have been on the trail since yesterday morning at 11 AM....the time sheets have been adjusted for their departures leaving McGrath......the lead sheet will be in real order for a short time today....when they spread out and take LO in different checkpoints......it makes the lead sheet a lot more difficult to read.....TRUST ME I KNOW!!!!
Racers are required to take three Layovers along the Northbound trail.....three 8 hours in regions and one 6 hour flex......by the time a team leaves McGrath today they will have completed their first LO and flex.....two more to do....the next region is what we could call the YUKON Region......8 hours can be done in Ruby, Galena or Kaltag.....the course time for this section of remote trail is typically 7.5 hours.....first team out of MCG this morning is good to go at 9:06....
The trail looks great based on pictures shared by Trail Class teams that ran this section of the trail yesterday to GAL......good snow coverage and pretty good temperatures...... There is lots of racing gonna happen......things to keep in mind today is the long stretch of remote trail......no villages from Ophir to Ruby......170 miles.......racers will go out heavy with fuel......watch out for the many trapping and logging, mining trails that can cause a racer to make the wrong turn....following GPS coordinates before veering off too far will be key......a racer without fuel is racking up minutes on the clock at ZERO MILES PER HOUR......never a good thing!!!! The river is in pretty good shape......some open water and some big overflow spots that will certainly be avoided,,,,,,,the river is where we will see the GPS flag pings confirm Iron Doggers will possibly move into triple digit racing mode!!!! Especially between Ruby & KAL.....where the Mighty Yukon while made of twists and turns is wide open and mostly flat!!!! Let’s hope the light isn’t flat today.....it makes it tricky to throttle into the unknown when it all looks like white tunnel..... The racers that make it to KAL will be good to go after LO for another 8 which will put them back on the clock in the early morning hours.....another 8 to do when the get to the coast if all goes as it typically does we will see racers reaching NOME by mid-afternoon tomorrow!!!! Good Luck everyone...... Racers make your plans, good luck today!!! Enjoy the ride...... Fans watch the leader board, study the split sheets from yesterday be patient as the communications in Ophir and Poorman are remote remote remote.....SAT phones and Tundra Telephone coming right up!!!! Hard to get the details if the signal isn’t strong enough!!!!! ~~~ hlf, #irondogmaiden #denmother #irondog2018#irondog #alaska
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Working and watching from home....24 hours a day.....1 week a year February 2018
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DAY TWO OF RACING---MAD MONDAY Racers have been on the trail since yesterday morning at 11 AM....the time sheets have been adjusted for their departures leaving McGrath......the lead sheet will be in real order for a short time today....when they spread out and take LO in different checkpoints......it makes the lead sheet a lot more difficult to read.....TRUST ME i KNOW!!!! Racers are required to take three Layovers along the Northbound trail.....three 8 hours in regions and one 6 hour flex......by the time a team leaves McGrath today they will have completed their first LO and flex.....two more to do....the next region is what we could call the YUKON Region......8 hours can be done in Ruby, Galena or Kaltag.....the course time for this section of remote trail is typically 7.5 hours.....first team out of MCG this morning is good to go at 9:06.... The trail looks great based on pictures shared by Trail Class teams that ran this section of the trail yesterday to GAL......good snow coverage and pretty good temperatures...... There is lots of racing gonna happen......things to keep in mind today is the long stretch of remote trail......no villages from Ophir to Ruby......170 miles.......racers will go out heavy with fuel......watch out for the many trapping and logging, mining trails that can cause a racer to make the wrong turn....following GPS coordinates before veering off too far will be key......a racer without fuel is racking up minutes on the clock at ZERO MILES PER HOUR......never a good thing!!!! The river is in pretty good shape......some open water and some big overflow spots that will certainly be avoided,,,,,,,the river is where we will see the GPS flag pings confirm Iron Doggers will possibly move into triple digit racing mode!!!! Especially between Ruby & KAL.....where the Mighty Yukon while made of twists and turns is wide open and mostly flat!!!! Let’s hope the light isn’t flat today.....it makes it tricky to throttle into the unknown when it all looks like white tunnel..... The racers that make it to KAL will be good to go after LO for another 8 which will put them back on the clock in the early morning hours.....another 8 to do when the get to the coast if all goes as it typically does we will see racers reaching NOME by mid-afternoon tomorrow!!!! Good Luck everyone...... Racers make your plans, good luck today!!! Enjoy the ride...... Fans watch the leader board, study the split sheets from yesterday be patient as the communications in Ophir and Poorman are remote remote remote.....SAT phones and Tundra Telephone coming right up!!!! Hard to get the details if the signal isn’t strong enough!!!!! ~~~ hlf, #irondogmaiden #denmother #irondog2018#irondog #alaska
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