When the green flag drops at 11:10 a.m., Dusty VanMeter of Kasilof and Marc McKenna of Anchorage will be the first racers to leave the start line at South Port Marina. Each man has won the race with a different partner but they have never won together. Last year, they teamed up to take sixth place.
According to a Facebook report from John Woodbury of Alaska Snowrider Magazine, the trail out of Big Lake is soft.
"Soft snow, bumpy, and will be a wild route for the Pro class, especially the ones who start near the back of the pack."
The field is loaded with past champions but does not feature a defending champion.
Chris Olds and Tyler Huntington, the winners of the last two races, parted ways this year and will race with new partners. Olds is paired with Mike Morgan and Huntington is racing with Tre West.
Reunited this year are Scott Davis and Todd Palin, the 2007 champions who split up last year so Davis could race with his son Cory. Davis owns a record seven Iron Dog titles, a distinction he shares with John Faeo, and Palin boasts four.
Also in the race are 2008 champs Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad, who scratched last year shortly after leaving Big Lake when Minnick crashed and needed medical help.
The race follows the historic Iditarod Trail to Nome and then heads to Fairbanks. On the way from Big Lake to Nome, teams must take three eight-hour layovers and one six-hour layover; on the way from Nome to Fairbanks, they must take two 10-hour layovers.
In Nome, all teams take a mandatory layover of anywhere from 24 to 40 hours, depending on when they arrive. On Thursday morning, the race restarts in Nome, with the leaders heading out first.
Another restart is held in Tanana. Teams are held there until Saturday morning, when they begin the final push of about 220 miles to Fairbanks, where an afternoon finish is expected.
2012 Iron Dog start order
South Port Marina, Big Lake
Start Bib# Riders
11:10 a.m. 17 Dusty Van Meter, Marc McKenna
11:12 2 Ryan Sottosanti, Andrew Zwink
11:14 22 Randy Gravatt, Michael Swiantek
11:16 15 Don Redick, Rob Robinson
11:18 39 Tyler Aklestad, Aaron Loyer
11:21 3 Wayne Wold, Doug Dixon
11:23 4 Robert Gardner, David Hammond
11:25 25 Race Price, Eric Watson
11:27 16 Todd Minnick, Nick Olstad
11:29 11 Todd Palin, Scott Davis
11:32 32 Brad Dietrich, Tim Jauhola
11:34 20 Jana Peterson-Pevan, Carl Swenson
11:36 18 Bob Jauhola, Tom Kriska
11:38 10 Mike Morgan, Chris Olds
11:40 8 Tyson Johnson, Chad Gueco
11:43 29 Robbie Muir, Jeremiah Jones
11:45 6 Tyler Huntington, Tre West
11:47 9 Darrick Johnson, Donald West
11:49 40 Arnold Marks Jr., Archie Agnes
11:51 13 Cody Barber, Brad George
11:54 21 Stan Brown, John Dean
11:56 19 Arthur 'Gux’ Laraux, Steven Boney
11:58 31 Charlie Potter, Lee Harrison
Noon 28 Joseph Brantley, Frank Ferreira
12:02 p.m. 27 Rusty Goodman, Lawrence Jones
12:05 23 Paul Dick, Brian Dick
12:07 33 Kelly Sommer, Harold Warner
12:09 7 Norman Sheldon, Raymond Wells
12:11 36 Harold Attla, Archie Beetus
12:13 30 Elaine Jackson, Jeremy Hanson
12:16 5 Howard Darling, Justin Robertson
Iron Dog Champions
Year Winners Machine
2011 Chris Olds and Tyler Huntington Polaris
2010 Chris Olds and Tyler Huntington Polaris
2009 Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad Polaris
2008 Eric Quam and Marc McKenna Arctic Cat
2007 Scott Davis and Todd Palin Arctic Cat
2006 Dwayne Drake and Andy George Arctic Cat
2005 Marc McKenna and Nick Olstad Arctic Cat
2004 Mark Carr and Dusty Van Meter Ski-Doo
2003 Cancelled, lack of snow
2002 Todd Palin and Dusty Van Meter Arctic Cat
2001 Tracey Brassard and Ken Lee Polaris
2000 Todd Palin and Dusty Van Meter Arctic Cat
1999 Mark Carr and Scott Davis Arctic Cat
1998 Mark Carr and Scott Davis Arctic Cat
1997 Mark Carr and Scott Davis Arctic Cat
1996 John Faeo and Bob Gilman Polaris
1995 Todd Palin and Dwayne Drake Polaris
1994 Evan Booth and Dan Zipay Polaris
1993 Scott Davis and Bill Long Arctic Cat
1992 Evan Booth and Dan Zipay Polaris
1991 John Faeo and Bob Gilman Polaris
1990 John Faeo and Bob Gilman Yamaha
1989 Scott Davis and Mark Torkelson Yamaha
1988 John Faeo and Dan Zipay Polaris
1987 John Faeo and Dan Zipay Polaris
1986 John Faeo and Dan Zipay Polaris
1985 Scott Davis and Gary Eoff Yamaha
1984 John Faeo and Rod Frank Polaris
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