Volunteers: The lifeblood of the Iron Dog Race
From the time this year’s Iron Dog Race began until its exciting finish with Team 20’s Robby Schachle and Brad George claiming their second victory, all eyes were on the racers. After all, that’s what this race is about: following some of the world’s strongest, multi-talented athletes some 2,500-plus miles through the Alaska wilderness.
But without Iron Dog’s statewide network of hundreds of volunteers, there would be no Iron Dog Race. These unsung heroes make the event happen – often beginning their efforts nearly a year in advance. They help run checkpoints, they deliver supplies, they clear and mark trails, they pitch in at Iron Dog headquarters – you name it, they are there to help.
“Iron Dog Race relies heavily on this group,” said Iron Dog Executive Director Mike Vasser. “The event would not be possible if we didn’t have such committed supporters across the state. They are a very important cog in the wheel for Iron Dog Race.”
Take Doug Heath, for example. For years, Heath ran the Ophir checkpoint out of Iron Dog Hall of Famer Dick Newton’s cabin. But that cabin burned down over the summer, said Iron Dog Board Treasurer Roger Brown.
Ophir in 2019 when Tamara Vanderpool staffed the checkpoint (after Chris Woosley passed away) with help from school kids from Takotna. Woosley began working the checkpoint as a teenager just like the kids in this photo. PC Tamara Vanderpool
“So, he was forced to run the checkpoint out of a wall tent,” Brown said. “This not only made living conditions more difficult, but it was also because of this that he wasn't able to have his army of young helpers from the Takotna Community School to help out.”
Ophir Checkpoint in 2025 PC Jill Heetten, 2025 Ambassador
The experience of helping run the checkpoint is traditionally the highlight of the year for the young people, Brown added, not to mention a huge help to Heath. Instead, Heath was on his own this year.
“And he wasn’t just out there for a few hours at a time,” Brown said. “Due to the remoteness of the checkpoint, he had racers and riders stopping in during all hours of the day and night.”
Board member Stan Brown (no relation to Roger) said Wilson Bourdon is one of Iron Dog’s perennial volunteers, who has kept the Nome checkpoint running smoothly for decades.
“I was in Nome for the halfway point, and I know Wilson and that crew did a great job,” Brown said. “With the early morning departure of 4 a.m., I thought Wilson had great attitude about having to be up at 3 a.m. to help get racers to where they needed to be. He was funny and kept a good attitude through it all.” Bourdon was named to Iron Dog’s Hall of Fame in 2023 and continues to volunteer long after retiring.
Entire communities and companies volunteer to help, too, pointed out Iron Dog Board Member Johnny Dean.
“Change is the name of the game in racing and it’s pretty great to have communities with the same willingness to be flexible, take– White Mountain, Koyuk and Unalakleet,” Dean said. “They had to adjust their schedule to accommodate Iron Dog for leaving Nome at 4 a.m., and they we very good about it.” Unalakleet Native Corp., he added, was particularly helpful during that part of the Iron Dog Race.
Vasser said attracting and maintaining a pool of volunteers, and appropriately thanking them for their work, is vitally important to the Iron Dog organization as a whole. Race volunteers are often inducted into the Iron Dog Hall of Fame (this year’s Nate Perkins is a prime example), and they become valued contributors – and friends, before, during and after the race.
“The connections that are made within the communities along the race route often times develop into lifelong friendships,” Dean added.
For this year’s race, Vasser said he turned to the military, which turned out in support of the World’s Longest Toughest Snowmobile Race by the dozens.
“This was the U.S. Army’s first year coming on board to support the race, and they really got into the race as it went on during the week,” Vasser said. Staff Sergeant Kyle Bercsik had a solid team always there for support when we needed them, and they killed it.
“We also have formed a good relationship with the 773rd Logistics Readiness Squadron over the past four years,” he added. “They have donated time to complete all the trail-marking stakes – generally 5,000 per year – for Iron Dog.”
Roger Brown echoed these sentiments, saying that active-duty, guard and veterans’ organizations are a huge help.
“And there are also a lot of locals behind the scenes that aren’t necessarily at the checkpoints as ‘official volunteers,’” he said. These in-the-moment helpers will conduct search and rescue, clear trees to open trails in the fall/early winter, and mark trail hazards. And they do it because they love the race.
“It's hard to put in writing what Iron Dog means to these communities,” Roger Brown said. “It's like it’s the unofficial start to spring. After a long, cold, dark winter, Iron Dog somehow is able to get everyone outside to enjoy their first glimpse of sun and warmer temperatures that make springtime in Alaska everyone's favorite time of year.”
As preparations get under way for the 2026 race less than a year away, more volunteers are always welcome, Vasser said. Every year, he appreciates the contributions of those who are simply stoked about the race and want to help.
“We get great photo shots from numerous volunteers in the field who are honing or developing their skills in photography, or they just love capturing that perfect Iron Dog shot,” he said. “These images are greatly helpful to have.”
Dean said volunteers often don’t get the credit they deserve when the race is on – in the frenzy of the moment, they simply need to get the job done. But a week later, when the race dust has settled and it’s time to reflect, the enormity of what volunteers add to the Iron Dog can be fully appreciated.
“A lot of these volunteers have been around for a long time and have so much experience to share,” Dean added. Now is the time to thank them – once again, and in earnest – for their efforts, and begin looking for the next generation of Iron Dog volunteers so that they can learn the ropes and become part of our tradition.
Charles Swanson is a volunteer in Koyuk, he sat on the sidelines this year because of shoulder surgery but will be back at the pumps in 2026 to work along side checker Darin Douglas and Kim Kavairlook (photo below of the three from 2024 thanks to Swanson). Douglas a second generation volunteer who took over for his father Raymond Douglas Sr who was inducted into the Iron Dog Hall of Fame in 2008.
At the time of this story preparing to go to print Iron Dog HQ was notified of sad news for Daniel Thomas, a veteran racer who turned volunteer for the 2025 race, hauling supplies into Poorman and Ruby. Thomas a resident of Utah flew to Alaska help supply these checkpoints, sadly his wife Dalynn passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, March 4th, our deepest condolences to him and his family.