Iron Dog, originally known as the Iron Dog Gold Rush Classic and later the Tesoro Iron Dog, is an off-road snowmobile

Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...

 race across Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. It normally starts on a Sunday in mid-February. At 1971 miles (3,172 km), it is the longest snowmobile race in the world. The 2008 event featured a record forty teams competing for a $100,000 purse

Prize money

Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...

, with $25,000 awarded to the winners. The race attracted worldwide attention in 2008, when 4-time winner Todd Palin

Todd Palin

Todd Mitchell Palin is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He is an American oil field production operator, commercial fisherman and champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times.-Early life:Palin...

's wife Sarah

Sarah Palin

Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...

 contested the vice presidency of the United States.

Course

The event began in 1984 as a 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) race from Big Lake near Wasilla, Alaska

Wasilla, Alaska

Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...

 to Nome, Alaska

Nome, Alaska

Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...

. It was extended by approximately 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) at the 10th annual race in 1994. The race route now follows parts of the Iditarod Trail

Iditarod Trail

The Iditarod Trail, also known historically as the Seward-to-Nome Mail Trail, refers to a thousand-plus mile historic and contemporary trail system in the U.S...

, the route of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. It starts at Big Lake and follows the main trail and its connecting trails until it hits to the Yukon River

Yukon River

The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...

 at Ruby

Ruby, Alaska

Ruby is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 188.-Geography:Ruby is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ....

. It follows the river to Kaltag

Kaltag, Alaska

Kaltag is a village in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 230.-Geography:Kaltag is located at ....

 before it heads to the Norton Sound

Norton Sound

Norton Sound is an inlet of the Bering Sea on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, south of the Seward Peninsula. It is about 240 km long and 200 km wide. The Yukon River delta forms a portion of the south shore and water from the Yukon influences this body of water...

 on the Bering Sea

Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....

 at Unalakleet, Alaska

Unalakleet, Alaska

Unalakleet is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States, in the western part of the state. At the 2000 census the population was 747. Unalakleet is known in the region and around Alaska for its salmon and king crab harvests; the residents rely heavily on caribou, ptarmigan, oogruk , and...

 and it follows the coast until Nome

Nome, Alaska

Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...

. Then it returns along the same path in the reverse order to Ruby, where it diverges off its original path by following the Yukon River and its tributary the Tanana River

Tanana River

The Tanana River is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to linguist and anthropologist William Bright, the name is from the Koyukon tene no, tenene, literally "trail river"....

 until the competitors finish in Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...

.
The current course record of 37 hours, 19 minutes is held by the winners of the 2009 Tesoro Iron Dog; Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad.

Safety

Races are typically run in temperatures well below freezing, and -20°F (-30°C) to -50°F (-45°C) air temperatures are common without taking wind chill

Wind chill

Wind chill is the felt air temperature on exposed skin due to wind. The wind chill temperature is always lower than the air temperature, and the windchill is undefined at the higher temps...

 into effect. Some drivers apply duct tape

Duct tape

Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...

 to their faces to protect against frostbite

Frostbite

Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...

. The machines are equipped with tall windshields for protection from the cold.

Drivers compete in two-driver, two-sled teams for their safety since they travel through remote areas of Alaska. Teams are required to take three six-hour breaks between Nome and Tanana. They also take a 42-hour break in Nome to recuperate before they start making their return. Sleds are impounded during the break, ensuring that they rest since they are not able to work on their sleds. Twenty-seven of the 40 teams entered in 2008 made it to Nome. The race never had a fatality in its first 25 years, although there have been close calls.

Winners

(Cumulative wins shown in parentheses.)

• 1: 1984 John Faeo (1) / Rod Frank (1)
• 2: 1985 Scott Davis (1)/ Gary Eoff (1)
• 3: 1986 John Faeo (2)/ Dan Zipay (1)
• 4: 1987 John Faeo (3)/ Dan Zipay (2)
• 5: 1988 John Faeo (4)/ Dan Zipay (3)

• 6: 1989 Scott Davis (2) / Mark Torkelson (1)
• 7: 1990 John Faeo (5)/ Bob Gilman (1)
• 8: 1991 John Faeo (6)/ Bob Gilman (2)
• 9: 1992 Dan Zipay (4)/ Evan Booth (1)
• 10: 1993 Scott Davis (3) / Bill Long (1)

• 11: 1994 Evan Booth (2)/ Dan Zipay(5)
• 12: 1995 Todd Palin
  Todd Palin
  Todd Mitchell Palin is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He is an American oil field production operator, commercial fisherman and champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times.-Early life:Palin...
  
  (1)/ Dwayne Drake(1)
• 13: 1996 John Faeo (7)/ Bob Gilman (3)
• 14: 1997 Mark Carr (1)/ Scott Davis (4)
• 15: 1998 Mark Carr (2)/ Scott Davis (5)

• 16: 1999 Mark Carr (3)/ Scott Davis (6)
• 17: 2000 Todd Palin (2)/ Dusty VanMeter (1) [Pro], Steve Deptula (1)/ Pat Reilly (1)[Masters]
• 18: 2001 Tracey Brassard (1) / Ken Lee (1) [Pro], Jack Bronner (1)/ Mike Lindeen (1) [Masters]
• 19: 2002 Todd Palin (3)/ Dusty VanMeter (2)
• —: 2003 Race canceled due to lack of snow
• 20: 2004 Mark Carr (4)/ Dusty VanMeter (3)

• 21: 2005 Marc McKenna (1)/ Nick Olstad (1)
• 22: 2006 Dwayne Drake (2)/ Andy George (1)
• 23: 2007 Todd Palin (4) / Scott Davis (7)
• 24: 2008 Marc McKenna (1)/ Eric Quam (1)
• 25: 2009 Todd Minnick (1)/ Nick Olstad (2)

• 26: 2010 Chris Olds (1)/ Tyler Huntington (1)
• 27: 2011 Chris Olds (2)/ Tyler Huntington (2)