Iron Dog start and finish to be televised, webcast live

TMC Net .com ^ | February 7, 2011 | Mike Campbell

[Jemian]

Feb 07, 2011 (Anchorage Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For the first time in race history, the start and finish of the Iron Dog snowmobile race will be televised live across much of Alaska.

Anchorage's KTUU-Channel 2 will broadcast the Big Lake start and the Fairbanks finish. It will also send broadcast team to Nome for reports that will air on its newscasts. Nome is the only place racers stop for an extended period during their 2,000-mile journey from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks at speeds sometimes exceeding 80 mph

The station will also offer online streaming of race video on its website.

"It's never happened, it's a first," said Iron Dog executive director Kevin Kastner. "It's hard to know what it will mean; it's hard to measure. I've got a little bit of panic in me wondering what does it mean to physical attendance at Big Lake.

"(But) we've been given a golden opportunity to elevate the Iron Dog to new heights." Never before has 28-year-old Iron Dog received such coverage. The 39-year-old Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race benefitted from network television coverage on ABC's popular "Wide World of Sports" program in its early years as well as cable television coverage more recently. No national coverage of the Iditarod has been announced for this year, however, with KTUU handling the race start and finish.

"It is one of the world's toughest races," KTUU news director Steve MacDonald said of the Iron Dog in a press release. "We look forward to bringing this extreme challenge to our viewers." Coverage of the Big Lake start will begin 11 a.m. AST on Feb. 20 on KTUU and KTVF in Fairbanks.

About 30 minutes of finish-line coverage is scheduled to begin 1 p.m. Feb. 26.

Online streaming of the start and finish will be at www.irondograce.com.

Kastner described the Iron Dog's relationship with KTUU as a partnership, with the race helping locate advertising sponsors to fund the coverage. Kastner estimated it cost "probably six figures to put the people in place and the gear." He said the race did not pay KTUU for the coverage.

"The important thing for me," Kastner said, "is that there have been many, many years people didn't even know the race had started or finished. Hopefully, this changes that."

[Jemian]

I believe this will begin on the 20^th. Go Dude!

[Jemian]

Ladies, Start your engines!

[Leo Farnsworth]

Didn't the First Dude ride this with a broken arm/wrist/hand a few years ago?

John Kerry would cry like a baby and kick a SS Agent if he got bumped off a snowmobile.

Go Sarah!

[runninglips]

Is Todd Palin entered this year?

[Jemian]

Yes, he did. Last year, he and his partner withdrew shortly after the start of the race. But in a previous year, Todd suffered a broken arm toward the end and continued to finish the race.

[Jemian]

Yes, he is. I think his team is #11, but I need to consult the program to be sure. FWIW, there is an Iron Dog program online. I don’t have the link right now, but you could do a search for it if you wish.

[freekitty]

VaRoom.................

[Leo Farnsworth]

Thanks. I appreciate it.

More than you know.

More than you know.

Thank you, again.

[NormsRevenge]

What a kidney rattler of a race.. May the Best 'Dog' win!

I'll settle for the nice&eazy dog mode.

Three men walking their dogs in Central Park in New York in 2010. A Retrevo.com study aimed at finding out whether gadgets make people more attractive as love interests revealed that young women find dogs sexier than smartphones. (AFP/File/Stan Honda)

[oprahstheantichrist]

Wow, thanks for the....

***THUD!!**

[fanfan]

Thanks for the ping Jemian!

Go Todd!

[runninglips]

Thanks for the reply, I am thinking entry #11 is a GREAT number to have this year.

[tillacum]

I’ll be near the tv all day rooting for #11.

[daylilly]

Thanks for posting this. I hope to be able to see it. I’m rooting for Todd. I noted he had a new partner this year and his partner from last year is partnered with a rookie.
Also found out that a relative of mine lives in Wasilla, and her husband competed in the Iron Dog several years ago. I didn’t know that she lived there.
It is so hard to get news in the lower 48 about this race.

[Jemian]

It is hard to get the news, I agree. I’m going to try to stay on top of this. I have a conference that begins about the same time, so it may be a bit dicey.

I wondered about that change of partners. Then, iirc, the previous partner is with his son. To me that’s understandable. As we get closer to race day, I’ll post the race program.

GO TODD!

THUDD!

[Jemian]

Yes, I just double-checked. Scott Davis, Palin’s partner last year, is partnered with rookie Cory Davis, age 22, Scott’s son. They are team #7.

[Vor Lady]

Todd Palin, mmmm,mmmm,mmmm.

[deport]

Pro Class Teams

Team #11 - Palin / Quam

Current Status: Race Not Started
Class: Pro Class

Current Standings | Teams | GPS Tracking

Top Sponsor: Arctic Cat

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Palin, Todd

Snowmobile
Arctic Cat F6 600cc

Age: 46

Hometown: Wasilla, Alaska

Racer Status: Veteran
Years Raced: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2nd; 1997, 2008, 4th; 2001, 2009 6th; 1998, 11th

Biography

Todd is a lifelong Alaskan self employed as a commercial fisherman. Todd is married to Sarah and they have five children Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trigg and one grandson Tripp. Todd and his family enjoy outdoor time in Alaska fishing, hunting, flying, 4 wheeling, riding snowmobiles and commercial salmon fishing in Bristol Bay.

Quam, Eric

Snowmobile
Arctic Cat F6 600cc

Age: 40

Hometown: Palmer, Alaska

Racer Status: Veteran
Years Raced: 1999, DNF; 2000, 7th; 2001, 4th; 2009, 4th; 2010, 3rd

Biography

Eric is a long time Alaskan employed by Sperry Drilling as a MWD engineer. Eric has a 2nd place finish in the 2008 Iron Man and a 1st place finish in a 1999 Lake Lucille 500 mile Grand Prix. Eric is married to Darcy and has one child Henley. Eric enjoys hockey, downhill skiing, jet skiing, dirt biking, fishing and jet boating.

IRON DOG Website

[Jemian]

Thank you so much for posting the information and the links.