Tony Smith of Hutchinson can point to many reasons why he was an underdog when entering the first ever Red Bull Snow Boundaries endurance snowmobile race in Elk River last Saturday.

Smith was one of the older racers at 30 in the Ditchbanger (non-pro) division involving 160 riders. He drove an older sled and had not raced snowmobiles in 13 years. He had minimal training for the 45-minute non-stop race on a four-mile course filled with bumps, jumps and moguls.

“I am still dumbfounded that I won the race,” said Smith after he finished with the fastest time of 45:40, 27 seconds in front of second place and 56 seconds over third place. “I am still kind of in shock.”

As champion, Smith will receive a 2016 Polaris Axys 800 snowmobile valued at $12,000. He won the race on a 2011 Arctic Cat Snow Pro.

“I was surprised because I was hoping for a place in the top 15 or better,” Smith said. He started in the third group of every five racers from a random draw.

“When I got the early start, I changed my goal to place 10 or better,” he said.

The first Red Bull Snow Boundaries event started out as a two-hour endurance race, but poor snow conditions resulted in a reduction from an eight mile closed loop course to just four miles and six laps. That did not make it easy.

“It is like running up and down the stairs constantly for 45 minutes or lifting weights that long,” Smith said. “It is extremely physically demanding. I was exhausted.”

Smith said the course was not a smooth ride and was very tough on the body. He got scared after the first two of six laps, thinking he may have gone too fast, wishing he had trained better. He slowed down in laps four and five to conserve energy and went hard on the last lap.

“I got lucky starting in the front of the pack,” Smith said. “My first lap was faster than anyone else by 18 seconds and I was able to make up a lot of time.”

The riders were given transponders to track their time and laps, meaning they had no idea where they ranked based on other riders on the course. When Smith finished his first lap, the last group was just starting.

“I had absolutely no idea who was winning,” Smith said. “I relied on my ability to snowmobile. My family and the 4,800 spectators knew I was in the lead from the scoreboards. I didn’t know I won until 10 minutes later.”

In a way, Smith did train for this unique event. He has been riding something since he was 3, be it a three-wheel bike, a four-wheeler, dirt bike or snowmobile. Most of the time, it was done for fun.

“I am getting a little old for the sport to be fast,” he joked. “Back in the day when I was in high school I raced four wheelers quite a bit. I was a state champion and placed second at a national race in 2002, the year I graduated from Hutchinson.”

Smith said he has been naturally gifted with some kind of riding skill, picking up new things pretty quick to get up to speed. He also enjoys the thrill.

“I always had something to mess around on,” he said. “It was a way of life growing up to be riding day and night and on the weekend. It may be just doing circles in the yard. I always had a passion for riding. When I got older I started competing then started winning.”

Smith raced at the McLeod County Fair in Hutchinson on a four wheeler starting when he was 15, not as early as others.

“I don’t recall how I did, but I knew I had a lot of fun doing it,” Smith said. “I started racing four wheelers a little more from there. By my senior year I was racing two nights a week between state and local meets. I won a national series race in Illinois in 2002.”

When Smith was 21, he jumped on a dirt bike to compete in super cross races. He did not compete much, but would go to different tracks with friends, plus go to the sand dunes in Idaho and Oklahoma for fun.

Smith is a member of the Crow River Wheelers Club that puts on super cross races at the county fair. He is on the organizing committee and built the track for the recent event.

After Smith signed up for the Red Bull event he joined the “grass roots” snow cross snowmobile series conducted every other Thursday at the Elk River motor park facility. He placed first in two events and third in the other in the 30 or over veteran class.

It had been a while since Smith raced on a snowmobile. In the 2003-04 season he placed second overall in a state series. He had not raced snowmobiles since until now. It had nothing to do with the fact his father died in a snowmobile accident when Tony was 8.

“My dad definitely had an influence on me riding,” Smith said. “He bought me a little four wheeler that I used to ride around the yard for hours. When I was 6 he got me a PW 50 Yamaha, which is a little dirt bike. What I learned from my dad’s death was to never wait to do something you can do today. If you make the decision to wait that opportunity may slip away.”

Smith said his father’s accidental death has never held him back from riding.

“I love taking risks, and when I put it all on the line, that is when I feel most alive,” he said. “Keep in mind all of my risks are calculated risks. I’m not out there trying to hurt myself or anyone else.”

Proclaiming he will definitely do this Snow Boundaries event again next year, Smith said he is thinking about entering the 500-mile cross country race from Canada to Minnesota.

His bucket list includes jumping over 200 feet on his dirt bike in the Idaho sand dunes. He has made it to 180 feet.

Six years ago Smith started a business called FRF Productions (freeride films). He creates videos of all subjects, making 300 a year for about 50 clients. Several clients are the top riders in the country.

“I am able to blend my passion for motor sports and making videos,” Smith said. “A lot of clients know I can ride and they trust I will get the shots they want and tell the story they are looking for, plus make it look cool. Winning something like this gives me more credibility. As I stepped on the podium some pro racers said with surprise, hey that’s the video guy.”