FAIRBANKS — A long history of Iron Dog frustration ended Saturday afternoon for the team of Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson, who claimed their first championship at 12:19 p.m. along the banks of the Chena River, driving Ski-Doos across the sun-splashed finish line.
Johnson, 36, said he's spent half his life trying to win. What made his 18th race different, he said, was "having a sled that was reliable and didn't give us any issue. We ran clean and had no major missteps."
The win was a long time coming for both men, who had a combined 16 DNFs coming into the race. Johnson, of Eagle River, failed to finish eight of his previous 17 Iron Dogs, and Aklestad, of Palmer, failed to finish eight of his previous 12..
Both men said they waited until hitting the finish line before thinking about the win, though they had a sizable lead on the second-place team of Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad. The champions finished at 12:19 p.m. to claim the top prize of $65,000, with Minnick and Olstad coming across about 35 minutes later.
"It was nerve-wracking all day today," said Aklestad. "Twelve years in the making. We finally figured it out."
They said the 290-mile run from Tanana went well, though there were some spots with low snow. The weather was beautiful and their snowmachines had no mechanical troubles.
"We were just concentrating on staying clean and not trying to ride too hard and break down, and force those guys to make up time and take chances," said Johnson.
The result flip-flopped the 2009 Iron Dog, when Minnick and Olstad beat Tyson and Johnson to the finish line by three minutes.
For much of the second half of the 2,000-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks, the Polaris-driving duo of Minnick and Olstad trailed Brad George and rookie Robbie Schachle on Ski-Doos. But on the home stretch Minnick and Olstad zoomed past George and Schachle to nail down second place by more than 90 minutes.
Defending champion Scott Faeo and partner Marc McKenna, a four-time champion, scratched in Tanana after hanging at the back end of the lead pack most of the race.
This year's race saw some exceptional rookie rides. First-time entrant Schachle was a member of the third-place team, and the all-rookie combo of Jason Gundersen and Josh Norum rode to an impressive fourth-place finish.
Although Polaris machines had captured the previous two Iron Dogs — and five of the last seven — Ski-Doo vaulted into the top spot this year. Teams driving Ski-Doo machines took six of the top eight positions.
Iron Dog
Finishers in Fairbanks by 3 p.m. Saturday
1) Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson, Ski-Doo, 35 hours, 35 minutes, 22 seconds, $65,000; 2) Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad, Polaris, 36:12:08, $35,000; 3) Brad George and Robby Schachle (R), Ski-Doo, 37:42:31, $20,000; 4) Jason Gundersen (R) and Josh Norum (R), Ski-Doo, 39:19:46, $15,000; 5) Chris Olds and Mike Morgan, Polaris, 39:38:14, $10,000; 6) Dusty Van Meter and Chad Gueco, Ski-Doo, 39:55:42; 7) Jordan Starr and Joshua Plumb, Ski-Doo, 40:04:43; 8) Stan Brown and John Dean, Ski-Doo, 40:22:52; 9) Robert Menne (R) and Daniel Thibault, Polaris, 40:43:26; 10) Kyle Conner and Donald Kontz, Polaris, 41:07:25; 11) Cody Barber and Brett Lapham, Polaris, 41:25:12; 12) Troy Conlon (R) and Ryan Folsom, Polaris, 43:06:07.