Tired Iron
2012 Tired Iron @ Chena River
Tired Iron, an annual celebration of vintage snow machines, has teamed up with Iron Dog and will offer a full schedule of weekend activities right next to the Iron Dog finish. That means you can attend two great events at once!
2012 Tired Iron schedule is as follows, from the official website:
SATURDAY February 25, 2012 – RACES & EVENTS
10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
“Radar Run”
(Held from the Wendell St. Bridge to the Steese Expressway Bridge, in front of Graehl Landing)
11:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Sideline Games/Events
(These events take place between the Finish line and just below the Cushman St Bridge)
11:30 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.
“Jurassic Classic”
(Starts at the Start/Finish line in front of the Golden Heart Plaza)
1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.
“2011 Iron Dog” Finish
(Timed “Hot” finish ends just downriver from the Wendell St. Bridge, near the confluence of the Noyes Slough. Then they proceed downriver, in a shutdown mode, to the Centennial Footbridge, exiting the river on the south bank into Griffin Park for Photo Op.)
1:30 P.M. (or 30 minutes after 1st place Iron Dog team finishes) till 3:00 P.M.
“Wired Iron”
(Junior’s race 120 cc sleds on smaller course, between the Start/Finish line in front of the Golden Heart Plaza and the Centennial Footbridge)
6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Drivers’/Safety Meeting at Elk’s
(Short Order food and drinks are available)
SUNDAY February 26, 2012 – RACES & EVENTS
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 noon
“Tired Iron Classic”
(24 mile river race for Air Cooled sleds through 1979 model year)
11:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Sideline Games/Events
(These events take place between the Finish line and just below the Cushman St Bridge)
12:30 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.
“Wet Iron”
(24 mile river race for Liquid Cooled sleds through 1979 model year)
2:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.
“Fun Run”
(24 mile river race for Air Cooled sleds through 1979 model year)
6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
Awards Banquet at Elk’s
(Short Order food and drinks are available)
When:
Saturday, February 25th 10:00am – 8:00pm
Sunday, February 26th 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Phone:
(907)452-8602
Tired Iron
CROWDING THE CHENA
A long and treacherous Iron Dog came to a close this weekend on the Chena River, as Chris Olds and Tyler Huntington sped by Todd Palin and Eric Quam just hours before the finish in downtown Fairbanks.
This year’s 2000-mile snow machine race was burdened by lots of snowfall and sudden winter storms. The crowd turnout on the Chena River at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, just before Olds and Huntington raced in for their title, was a great show of support for these hard-working teams.
Several hundred fans leaned against the railing of Centennial Footbridge and lined the fence around the official finish line. People from all ages burst into applause and shouts at the first glimpse of Huntington and Olds, who quickly dismounted their sleds, embraced, and turned to greet the throngs of fans and media waiting in the cold.
The Tired Iron (read a great recap here) enjoyed similar success. This year’s two-day event had scores of activities for children as well as vintage snow machine races for those loyal to their pre-1979 sleds.
Kids got a chance to race, too, and their competitions were in full swing on Saturday afternoon. Little boys in big helmets and racing jackets lined up their snow machines under the footbridge. The small course for the “Wired Iron” Juniors Race required three laps, and it was soon apparent that a young girl would give these boys a run for their money.
Those children without a miniature snow machine enjoyed sliding down the banks of the Chena (on sleds or their bottoms), or being launched down a cleared section of river ice by the giant slingshot in an inner tube (the popular “Kid-a-Pult Curling”).
Big Daddy’s BarB-Q provided hot dogs and pulled pork all day long out of a tent in the Golden Heart Plaza.
Congratulations to these two fabulous winter events- it was great to have you downtown!
Help us plan for next year. Take a short survey about the events this past weekend.
Tired Iron
HAVE YOU HEARD?
Downtown Fairbanks will host a variety of high-energy and popular snow machine races this weekend! Come out to watch the finish, support the teams, join the river games, and spend a day on the (frozen) river.
IRON DOG FINISH
Race update: The Iron Dog finish has been rescheduled for around 6 p.m. on Saturday because of weather conditions, but check their website for the most up-to-date time.
Don’t miss the Iron Dog finish this Saturday, downtown on the Chena River right below Centennial Footbridge! Watch the lead teams of this grueling 2,000+ mile snow machine race sprint to glory in the final leg of their trip. 22 teams remain in the pro class, and their standings have been switching almost as fast as the online GPS tracking system can record.
The first teams are expected to arrive in Fairbanks around 1pm on Saturday.
This is sure to draw a crowd, so come early and find your spot!
TIRED IRON
Tired Iron, an annual celebration of vintage snow machines, has teamed up with Iron Dog and will offer a full schedule of weekend activities right next to the Iron Dog finish. That means you can attend two great events at once!
Tired Iron will host events on the river in front of Golden Heart Plaza on Saturday from 11am-4pm and Sunday from 11am-3:30pm.
The schedule is as follows:
SATURDAY (2/26)
Races are in bold
starting at 11am- Kid-a-Pult Curling
starting at 11am- Dogsled Rides for kids
11:30am -12:30pm- Jurassic Classic
12-1:30pm- Potato Gun Softball
12:15pm- Sani-Can Porta Potty Olympics
12:30-1:30pm- Mini Arctic Man Contest
1-4pm- Iron Dog Finish
approx. 1:30pm- Wired Iron (Junior’s race)
12:30-2:30pm- Fairbanks Offroad Lions Big Tug-o-War
SUNDAY (2/27)
11am- 12pm- Tired Iron Classic
12:30- 1:30pm- Wet Iron
2-3:30pm- Fun Run
Click here for full descriptions of all races and events.
See you downtown!
Tired Iron
WHEN RIVERS BECOME ROADS
Radar Run, Wired Iron, Jurassic Classic, Wet Iron…
What, might you ask, are all of these colorful words about?
None other than the 5th Annual Fairbanks Tired Iron!
The vintage snow machine race is back.
Bigger, better than ever, and in a new location on the Chena River in the heart of downtown Fairbanks.
The Tired Iron, celebrates the snow machine (the older the better), recognizes the many different makes and models, and has come up with ingenious categories for these amazing, restored machines to compete in. On February 27th and 28th downtown will be filled with a wide variety of snow machine competitions and activities. If you have a vintage machine you’d like to race, now is the time! Go to their new website at www.fairbankstirediron.org for entry forms, maps of the courses, sponsorship opportunities and more.
Snow machines are an integral part of Alaska history. With such little infrastructure in our wild, sub-arctic climate, rivers become roads for snow machines during the winter months. These snow machines and river roads have allowed people access locations all across our great state. Dedicated to showcasing this history, the Tired Iron allows people to share their stories and then race their vintage snow machines on the “River Rally Race Track”, on the Chena River.
However, this event is not without a sense of humor. The annual “Fun Run”, featuring all shapes and sizes of snow machines of yesteryear (with few exceptions the snow machines have to pre date 1975), is less race and more red-green regatta. And this year’s Tired Iron is also adding plenty of carnival like fun on Saturday February 27th, at the new “Downtown River Party” from Noon until 2 pm, with activities such as the Kid-a-Polt, Bunny Boot Golf Contest, and the Turkey Toss & Shot Put. Try your hand at these amusing, unusual contests and maybe you’ll win big! All proceeds benefit the Presbyterian Hospitality House.
So come on Downtown watch the races and play some games, or better yet, sign up to compete!
