The team of Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad won their second straight Iron Dog snowmachine pro class race on Saturday, going virtually wire-to-wire for the victory.
Aklestad and Olstad, running as Team 7, arrived in Big Lake at 12:05 p.m. on Saturday, finishing 36 minutes ahead of the runner-up team of Casey Boylan and Bryan Leslie. Cody Barber and Brett Lapham finished third, arriving at 1:04 p.m.
Aklestad, from Palmer, and Wasilla’s Olstad, logged 52 hours, 58 minutes and 32 in total on the course, running the 2,503-mile course at an average of 47.25 miles per hour.
The return from the ceremonial midpoint of Nome was a slower run for all of the teams. The covered the first 1,482 miles of the course at an average of 50.42 mph.
But the duo still ran faster than they did during their 2022 victory, where they averaged 46.3 miles per hour. Aklestad and Olstad also won the 2020 title.