{"id":136829,"date":"2022-02-27T09:29:56","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T17:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=136829"},"modified":"2022-02-27T09:32:15","modified_gmt":"2022-02-27T17:32:15","slug":"aklestad-and-olstad-take-the-2022-iron-dog-win-arnolds-david-wagner-team-11-finished-14th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/?p=136829","title":{"rendered":"Aklestad and Olstad, take the 2022 Iron Dog Win!  Arnold&#8217;s David Wagner &#038; Team 11 Finished 14th!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Wasilla, AK&#8230;Third time was the charm in the Iron Dog for Arnold&#8217;s David Wagner.\u00a0 After literally crashing and burning on his first two attempts. Well technically it was a burned down sled the first year and a sled broken in the crash the second year. Team 11 of Joseph Hale &amp; David Wagner finished the 2475.00 mile course at an average speed of 30.93 MPH. In this race yes, winning is the goal but finishing in and of itself is a very real and tangible victory! The following is from the Iron Dog race release. Blue sky peeked through horizontal strips of cloud cover as Team 7 raced to victory in the 2022 Iron Dog race, stopping the clock at 11:21 a.m. Saturday. Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad, who won the race together in 2020 but scratched in 2021, had a comfortable lead this time around, allowing them to ride cautiously and avoid the pitfalls that befell several of this year\u2019s teams.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-136830\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"569\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234-300x267.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234-1024x911.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234-768x683.jpg 768w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234-570x507.jpg 570w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234-701x623.jpg 701w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_1234-1067x949.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Team 7, Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad, celebrate their victory at the ceremonial finish of Iron Dog 2022. Courtesy Jenny Duax<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-136834\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-119x89.jpg 119w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-570x428.jpg 570w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-701x526.jpg 701w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n-1067x800.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-136835\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n-1024x666.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n-768x500.jpg 768w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n-570x371.jpg 570w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n-701x456.jpg 701w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274917677_4927764157262487_7388936455071467134_n-1067x694.jpg 1067w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90332-AM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-136831\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90332-AM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90332-AM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90332-AM-300x98.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90332-AM-570x186.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90742-AM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-136832\" src=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90742-AM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90742-AM.jpg 640w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90742-AM-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Chrome-Legacy-Window-2272022-90742-AM-570x115.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDavidWagner209%2Fposts%2F1150122142428876&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=640\" width=\"640\" height=\"800\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The 2022 win marks Aklestad\u2019s third victory and Olstad\u2019s fifth. Their official course time was 53 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt feels good to be here,\u201d Aklestad said at the ceremonial finish in Wasilla. \u201cI\u2019ll say without a doubt that was the roughest Iron Dog I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oldstad agreed: \u201cEvery single place where it should have been smooth, it was not,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n<p>From Day 1, warmer-than-normal temperatures, heavy snow, high winds and flat light plagued racers and race organizers alike. The uncooperative weather forced Iron Dog organizers to rethink the start and finish of the race, moving spectators off Big Lake as a safety precaution. Instead of the traditional spectator-lined finish on Big Lake, racers instead went off the clock at the lake and trailered their sleds to the ceremonial finish at the Curtis Menard Center in Wasilla.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s official finish was anticlimactic as Team 7 crossed the lake and drove immediately into their idling trailer, which whisked them to the ceremonial finish. No inflatable arches, flags or cheering fans were on the lake, but some 20 miles away, the crowds and fanfare awaited.<\/p>\n<p>Once there, Team 7 was truly able to celebrate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t have one single thing \u2013 no wrecks, we didn\u2019t have to do anything to our sleds,\u201d Aklestad said. \u201cWe had some luck on our side, and it paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some teams were not so lucky. Team 14 veterans Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie scratched out of the race after Leslie took a hard spill at a section of trail called Walla Walla, outside of Elim. That didn\u2019t stop them from coming out to the finish to help the remaining teams celebrate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I bruised up my kidneys and had to spend a night in the hospital in Nome,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cUnfortunately, we had to make the call to scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Second place Team 10 arrived at 1:16 p.m., with a course time of 56:22:21; followed by Team 9, Troy Conlon and Shane Barber at 1:50 p.m. and a course time of 59:40:26.<\/p>\n<p>As far as conditions went, Olds said, \u201cIt\u2019s probably the roughest of all the Iron Dogs. \u2026 It wasn\u2019t super brutal, but there was never a break.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sections that usually can be wide-open and smooth \u2013 like McGrath to Ophir \u2013 were rutted the entire way, allowing no rest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith all this heavy, wet snow and warm weather, the bomb holes were twice as deep,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cIt was brutal, but I\u2019m glad we made it and we are off the trail. \u201c<\/p>\n<p>The Iron Dog celebration continues 7-9 p.m. Saturday with the Awards Ceremony &amp; Reception, which is open only to racers and their families, volunteers, and sponsors. Winners will take home $45,000; $35,000 goes to second place; and $25,000 to third place. A slew of contingency prizes will also be awarded. That event takes place at the Menard Center as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wasilla, AK&#8230;Third time was the charm in the Iron Dog for Arnold&#8217;s David Wagner.\u00a0 After literally crashing and burning on his first two attempts. Well technically it was a burned down sled the first year and a sled broken in the crash the second year. Team 11 of Joseph Hale &amp; David Wagner finished the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,22,20,1,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arnold","category-bear-valley","category-featured","category-news","category-sports","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/274885237_4930070967031806_5971113114448246463_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=136829"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136838,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136829\/revisions\/136838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/136834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=136829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=136829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=136829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}