Nearly two dozen Iron Dog racers were stuck in deep snow about five miles west of Elim Wednesday afternoon. The group includes members of the snowmachine race’s competitive Pro Class, non-competitive Expedition Class and Ambassador Team, who helps break trail for race.
Early Wednesday morning, residents in Elim and Koyuk reported shifting shorefast sea ice. The unreliable ice forced Iron Dog riders to take a forested inland trail known locally as the "old mail trail".
Iron Dog released a statement Wednesday afternoon saying that officials were in “active communication” and that no emergency signals had been sent by the stuck riders.
“Multiple staff members are continuously reviewing GPS tracking data, maintaining communication channels, and coordinating with local contacts along the trail. Search and Rescue resources remain on standby should the need arise. The safety of all racers remains the top priority,” the statement said.
Jim West Jr. with Nome Volunteer Fire Department said he was aware of the situation, but that the nearby crew in Elim would be best equipped to respond. He said emergency responses from Nome would likely escalate if any injuries were reported.
Carl Paul with Elim Search and Rescue said Wednesday afternoon that three people from Elim were onsite to assist in breaking trail. He reported snow as deep as 14 feet along the trail and dwindling water supplies. Ground storm conditions causing limited visibility was also reported.
On the other side of the Kwiktalik Mountains, Darrell Takak with Golovin Search and Rescue team said he was monitoring the situation, but did not have any plans to respond at the time.
Takak was part of a four-man crew that helped recover a group of Expedition Class riders Monday night on a section of trail 10 miles west of where the Pro Class riders were stuck on Wednesday. Deep snow and whiteout conditions made it difficult for the riders to make progress on the trail. All riders were successfully recovered and brought to Golovin.
Hillarie Gossett is a two-time Iron Dog Pro Class finisher. Throughout the day Wednesday she carefully watched the race's GPS tracker, which showed her husband, Tim Gossett, stationary in Koyuk as other racers up the trail worked to break in the loose powder.
Hillarie Gossett was part of the first all-female team to complete the modern pro course in 2023. She also raced the Iron Dog with her husband last year, becoming one of the first husband-wife teams to finish the course.
As Tim Gossett waited out the storm in Koyuk, Hillarie Gossett attended the Iron Dog's Nome Halfway Banquet Wednesday night. By the start of the event, no Pro Class riders had made it into town. She said she had faith in the riders out on the trail to make sound decisions.
"Anybody who goes out and does Iron Dog has a level of capacity and sufficiency and capability to be able to be out in really intense situations and conditions," Hillarie Gossett said.
This year's tumultuous weather, which also forced a one-day delay out of the Kotzebue checkpoint, tested Hillarie Gossett's nerves nonetheless.
"There's been crazy situations this year, and so if I were to say that nerves aren't involved, that would be a lie," Hillarie Gossett said. "But I just really trust in the Iron Dog community and the Iron Dog family to know that whoever's out there on the trail is going to get home safe."
Iron Dog said in the Wednesday statement that upon arrival in Nome, marshals would speak with teams regarding the situation.
When riders were released from Kotzebue Wednesday morning, team 14’s Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie were over half an hour ahead of team 7’s Tyler Akelstad and Nick Olstad. The latter opted to serve a two hour layover in Koyuk. Their layover has since expired, but Iron Dog GPS data showed the team remaining in Koyuk as of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday along with nearly two dozen other riders.
