They don't call the Tesoro Iron Dog the world's toughest snowmobile race for nothing.
Just ask Todd Palin.
Palin, three-time winner of the 2,000-mile snowmachine odyssey across Alaska, may skip this year's race because of a painfully sore back. Thousands of miles atop a bucking snowmachine has taken its toll on the 39-year-old Wasilla rider.
"The Alaskan lifestyle is wear and tear on backs," Palin said.
Palin will decide today if he'll race with partner Scott Davis of Soldotna, a six-time champion. The pair, racing Arctic Cats, finished second last year to Mark Carr of Kenai and Dusty VanMeter of Kasilof. Carr and VanMeter were the first to win racing Ski-Doos.
Palin said if he does not race, he would ask 19-year-old Tyler Aklestad of Palmer to take his place. Aklestad, a rookie last year who briefly led the race, was partnered with Marc Mc-Kenna, but had to bow out.
McKenna, of Anchorage, has since partnered with Nick Olstad, a rookie from Wasilla.
Aklestad could not be reached Friday evening.
High speeds and rough trail have led to many injuries over the years. In 2001, three-time champion Bob Gilman retired from racing after a wreck leaving Nome.
The race, which requires team members to ride together on separate snowmachines, starts at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Call of the Wild bar on Big Lake.
Between 2,500 and 4,000 people are expected to watch, said Mike Lasky, an Iron Dog organizer in charge of the start and finish. He said there will be signs directing drivers through Big Lake and out onto the ice road, the easiest way to reach Call of the Wild, located on the west side of the lake. He said the road, which is maintained by volunteers, is regularly cleared and four-wheel drive is not necessary. He also said the ice is plenty thick.
"The ice measures in excess of 28 inches," he said. "We have fuel trucks driving on it delivering fuel. It can hold a tremendous load."
This year's race is about 2,000 miles and runs from Wasilla to Nome and back to Wasilla -- the first time since 1997 the race will follow this course.
Last year's course ran 2,000-miles from Fairbanks to Nome to Wasilla. Finishers are expected back at the Call of the Wild around 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19.
Racers can expect snowy trail all the way to McGrath, said rider Ken Lee, a nine-time Iron Dog veteran and former champion who has been out breaking trail since early January. Before recent storms, Lee said, the trail was so hard and fast it was "like a sidewalk."
Now, he said, anyone who ventures off the trail, which can narrow to as little as four feet in some areas, could get stuck in oodles of soft, dry, powder snow.
"It's like sugar. The instant you hit it, you just sink down," he said.
Today, there will be a parade through downtown Wasilla beginning at the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn at 1 p.m. A safety inspection follows at 2 p.m. The drawing for starting position begins at 5 p.m. at the Best Western motel.
Daily News sports reporter Ron Wilmot can be reached at rwilmot@adn.com.
Tesoro Iron Dog
• START: 11 a.m. Sunday at Call of the Wild on Big Lake
• FINISH: Saturday Feb. 18 on Big Lake
• RACERS: 40 racers in 20 two-driver teams
• ARCTIC CAT RACERS: 14
• SKI-DOO RACERS: 10
• YAMAHA RACERS: 2
• POLARIS RACERS: 14
• DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Mark Carr of Kenai and Dusty VanMeter of Kasilof on Arctic Cats
• COURSE: Big Lake to Nome to Big Lake
• PURSE: $75,000 with $23,250 for first place
