The True Story Behind’ Iron Will’ Explained

‘Iron Will’ is an adventure film that tells the story of Will Stoneman, a young man who decides to take part in a dogsled race to save his family from financial ruin. Throughout the movie, he faces extreme conditions and difficulties but manages to overcome all of them, and at the same time, he fulfills his goal. And while the strength and determination of the human spirit are universal themes among many filmmakers, it just so happens that ‘Iron Will’ was actually based on a true story, and today we’re going to tell you all about it. 

‘Iron Will’ is a fictionalized account of the 1917 dogsled race 

The movie Iron Will’ presents the story of Will Stoneman, played by Mackenzie Astin. He is a mail-runner and apprentice carpenter in a Small South Dakota town, but he has the opportunity to turn his life around when he gets accepted into his dream college. But there’s a catch: leaving his hometown is not as easy after his father’s death, who died while mushing. Will is now responsible for the family’s farm, and the farm is not doing so well. There’s a lot of debt involved, and his family might lose the farm if he doesn’t come up with a lot of money. 

By accident, he learns about an international dogsled race that has a massive cash prize for the winner. With rigorous training and the support of a news reporter, Will defies skepticism from experienced mushers and enters the race to fulfill his father’s dream and secure his family’s future. Will faces troubles along the way, lack of experience, and internal troubles, with dogs being the worst, but despite everything being stacked against him, he wins and secures the prize; the real story, however, wasn’t like that. 

The real “Will Stoneman,” aka Fred Hartman actually lost the race

Will Stoneman was inspired by Fred Hartman. A 26-year-old orphan from Boston, Massachusetts, chose to participate in the challenging 522-mile Dogsled Race of 1917, sponsored by the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The race spanned from Winnipeg, Canada, to St. Paul, Minnesota, lasting 11 days from January 24th to February 3rd.

Despite being one of two Americans in the competition, he got incredible support and admiration as he faced numerous challenges, including the death of his lead dog before the race even began. Throughout the near-impossible journey, he overcame obstacles such as deep snow, lack of sleep, and frigid weather, getting attention from some of the most popular newspapers like the Washington Post and the New York Times. His determination and bullheadedness were his greatest strengths as he not only led his team but also rescued a fellow competitor who had collapsed from fever.

As you can see, it wasn’t an easy journey, and Fred ultimately lost the race, finishing fifth out of five racers. But his courage and determination lived on, and he inspired a movie; I would call that a win. 

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