Central MN Man Competing In ‘World’s Longest & Toughest’ Snowmobile Race

A Central Minnesota man will be taking on the 'world's longest and toughest' snowmobile race in 2026. The race, called the Iron Dog, announced some of the people participating in the event, and an Ogilvie man was one of the highlighted riders.

What's The Iron Dog?

The Iron Dog is a true test of both machine and man as it's been dubbed the "world's longest and toughest" snowmobile race. The race is more of a marathon than a sprint, as the event's website touts that the race goes more than 2,500 miles!

The first Iron Dog was in 1984 and followed the Northern Route of the Historic Iditarod Trail to Nome.

"It covers more than 2,500 miles as it traverses the Alaskan backcountry between February 12, 2026 - February 21, 2026."

From Selling Snowmobiles To Taking On The Iron Dog

Tom Rowland, who owns Thomas Sno Sports in Ogilvie, is participating in the Ambassador class portion of the Iron Dog this year with some familiar names for those who follow snowmobiling.

Tom will be participating on a team that features the '3 Old Guys' who rode from Minnesota to Alaska a few years ago, as well as two Alaskans in Brad Helwig and Eric Quam.

https://www.facebook.com/IronDogSnowmobileRace/posts/pfbid0G1yyepWR6hPkiHqa4jk21Rm4M5WQauj2134MbqKdBYAXrn86eEbEeqwB4eD7Nd5Rl

31 Teams Competing For A Title

The main portion of the race will see 31 teams competing for the 2026 title, on a variety of machines. From Polaris, Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, and Lynx riders will compete to see who can finish the race first.

Other Minnesotans competing in the race this year are:

• Dustin Dohrn - Elgin, MN - Ski-Doo
• Wyatt Halek-Hooper - McGregor, MN - Arctic Cat
• Adam Stafford - Aitkin, MN - Arctic Cat
• Dan Zimmerman - Nisswa, MN - Ski-Doo
• C.J. Vandeputte - Nisswa, MN - Ski-Doo

The pro-class riders, listed above from Minnesota, will start the race on February 14th, while the Ambassador and Expedition classes will start on February 12th.

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You can follow the race online here. 

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