Close Finish At End of 2018 Iron Dog; Morgan and Olds Come Out On Top
Team #10 of Morgan and Olds maintained their lead from checkpoint to checkpoint after leaving the halfway point in Nome, eventually reaching Fairbanks first at noon on Saturday. Brad George and Robby Schachle of Team #6 caught up to within five minutes of Morgan and Olds, but couldn’t pass them at the end.
Iron Doggers Awarded Their Prizes During Halfway Ceremony for 2018 Race
Jim Wilke, President of the Board of Directors, gave out awards to top Iron Dog racers last night, such as $8,000 from the Bering Sea Lions Club for the fastest time overall from White Mountain to Nome, which went to team #10, Chris Olds and Mike Morgan, along with $10,000 in gold coins from Donlin Gold.
And They’re Off! Lead Iron Dog Racers Depart Unalakleet Bound for Halfway Point in Nome
Iron Dog race marshals made the decision yesterday to hold at least the top nine racers in Unalakleet for 30 hours, due to weather conditions in the Norton Sound area. And now race leaders Tyson Johnson and Tyler Aklestad are off and running.
Iron Dog Racers’ Layover Extended at Unalakleet; Nome Banquet Still Planned for Wednesday
As of Tuesday mid-day, the top racers in Iron Dog 2018 are still in Unalakleet. With severe weather along the coast, race marshals decided this morning to extend the layover.
2018 Iron Dog Begins Sunday; 27 Pro Class Teams Set To Race 2,000 Miles
Wilke says 27 teams are now running in the pro class as Steven Boney and Oliver Unruh have decided not to compete due to injuries. The 2018 Iron Dog pro class roster features Western Alaska racers such as Micah Huss, Tre West and Casey Perkins of Nome, Chris Collins of Kotzebue and his partner Lawrence Jones of Ambler.
2018 Iron Dog Pro and Trail Class Rosters Set; Current and Former Nome Residents on List
Of the 58 registered competitors, 24 of them are rookies, including former Nome resident Casey Perkins and his racing partner Dale Bennett. Other 2018 Iron Dog racers with ties to Nome are Mike Morgan and James “Tre” West. Morgan will sport bib #10 alongside teammate Chris Olds, while West has registered under #7 with Aaron Bartel.
2018 Iron Dog Roster Features 27 Teams, 21 Rookies, But Not 2017 Champions
2017 champs Cory Davis of Soldotna and Ryan Simons of Alberta, Canada, claimed the win after another team, Tyson Johnson and Tyler Aklestad, were controversially disqualified. According to a press release from Iron Dog, Inc., Davis is focusing on the X-Games and Simons is healing from a back injury, so neither racer will compete this year.