ET FRIMAGASIN FRA FINNMARKSLØPET 2015
Transcription
ET FRIMAGASIN FRA FINNMARKSLØPET 2015
ET FRIMAGASIN FRA FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 FEATURES Dreaming og the Finnmark Race The education year Trailbreakers Why organise a WCh The Finnmark Race PROFILE FL- 2015 Sigrid Ekran MilosGanda Elisabeth Uglebakken Vidar Uglebakken Ralph Johannessen Eveline Koch VARIOUS Public program Race map Good cooperation My lead dog race list SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge inviterer til gratis familieforestilling Balto helt på viddene Av RimfRost teAteRensemble AltA 7. mARs | tAnA 8. mARs | KiRKenes 9. og 10. mARs | KARAsjoK 11. og 12. mARs Les om forestillingen: snn.no/balto GRATIS forestilling for hele familien Balto har prøvd mye – men lykkes aldri helt. Denne gangen skal han delta i Finnmarksløpet. Men er han forberedt? 3 Welcome to the Finnmark Race World Championship 2015! The final plans are now laid, and we look forward to officially welcoming everyone once again to the Finnmark Race World Championship 2015. High pulse, detailed planning and a lot of hard work have characterized the past weeks for everyone involved in this event. That does not, however, diminish our joy. tLast year we saw the first Finnmark Junior Race ever, and despite challenging weather conditions all four participants, aged 15-18, reached the finish line. Following on from what we have to call a successful debut race, there will also be a Finnmark Junior Race this year. So far, we have 10 teams signed up for the Junior Race, and 147 participants for the entire Finnmark Race. This means that we have passed the 2014 signup record of 131 with 16 more teams! The Finnmark Race is strenuous enough in and of itself, but this year the contestants also compete for the much-desired award of World Champion in all classes. Our partners will set up a small mobile ‘Siida’ (North Sami word for ‘village’) that is meant to create activities for young and old alike along the trails. This initiative is based on a desire to strengthen the public participation and celebrations during the World Championship. The Siida move from Alta to Tana Bridge, Kirkenes and Karasjok. This year, like last year, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all those who contribute to making the Finnnmark Race what it has become today. Thank you to our volunteers, who take time off from work, clear their schedule and cancel everything else in order to be here. Thank you to public and private partners who make the race possible. Thank you to our staff who work relentlessly, and last, but not least; thank you to all the members of the public who make the race week a festival for and by the people all the way through. With this, I bid all participants, partners, volunteers and guest a big, warm welcome to Finnmark and the Finnmark Race World Championship 2015. Gunnar Nilssen Managing Director, Finnmarksløpet AS 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 4 THE NAME CIIKO This is a free magazine from Finnmarksløpet about the race, mushers, volunteers and our partners. The name Ciiko has been picked from one of Sven Engholm’s legendary lead dogs. Ciiko was the first dog to cross the finish line in the very first Finnmarksløp in 1981. Sven named her using the word for bitch in Sami, Ciiku. Engholm chose to spell it with a ”o” at the end, and so did we. Not only was Ciiko the first finishing, she was a fantastic dog and was obviously used for breeding. In most of the famous kennels in Norway offspring are found with pedigree from Ciiko, a worthy dog to give name to our magazine. ET FRIMAGASIN FRA FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 PUBLISHER EDITOR LAYOUT Finnmarksløpet as PB 1248, 9504 Alta Trond A. Andersen Sanna Charlotte Kivijervi PHOTO COVER PRINT CONTACK Kjell O. Brun Bjørkmanns as, Alta [email protected] www.finnmarkslopet.no FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 5 FOTO: Zbigniew Wantuch INNHOLD Profiles FL-2015 Profile FL-1000 Sigrid Ekran . . . . . . . . 18 Profile FL-500 RNB Eveline Koch . . . . 19 Profiel FL-jr Elisabeth Uglebakken . . . 25 Profile FL-500 Milos Gonda . . . . . . . . . 26 Profiel FL-1000 Ralph Johannessen. . 27 Profile FL-500 Vidar Uglebakken . . . . 29 Features Dreaming of the Finnmark Race . . . . . . 8 The Finnmark Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Trailbreakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Why organise a WCh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Research on the mushers . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Various The education year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Miy lead dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Race map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Public program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Good cooperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET Stolt samarbeidspartner med Finnmarksløpet Polar Parka Polar Bib Trousers Finn flere varme vinterklær på fjallraven.no 7 The Education Year When a race as big as the Femund Race is frozen and then cancelled, it is of course very sad. However, every cloud has a silver lining. The last year has been a very peculiar year for mushers and for those of us who organise sled dog races. It all started with the new race, Hakasleppet, which takes place in Nordmarka just north of Oslo. The 2014 participants nearly drowned in snow and had to look out for flying spruces. The best fuel for the mushers was said to be their gallows humour. Our very own Finnmark Race put both men, women and dogs to the test. Two storms and far too warm temperatures made it one of the toughest races ever. Hundreds of miles to the west of us, the Iditarod participants mushed across hundreds of miles of barren land. Jeff King had the Youtube mushing hit of all times with his spectacular GoPro film cut showing his madman dash down the inhospitable Dalzell Gorge. Many mushers were injured and had to scratch from the race in that very same area. Mr King was all set for his fifth Iditarod victory when extreme winds blew his dream to pieces and put both him and his dogs in a rather dangerous situation. Nor has the 2015 season in Norway been a walk in the park. The Gausdal Maraton participants saw huge amounts of snow, and while it was not too mean, it was a rough race. In the northern region of the country, the participants of the Alta 2-day Race were put to the test. Three juniors and one 2 x 50 participant were stuck on the mountains due to severe weather conditions, and the latter was not exactly in a good condition when the snowmobile rescue patrol arrived. The wind and the low temperatures challenge you both mentally and physically when you are forced to lie completely still in one spot, without being able to move. This year’s new race, the Bergeby N70, where the longest trail measured more than 650 kilometres, got to feel the storm named ‘Ole’. Wiser from former experiences on the Varanger peninsula, the organizers chose to stop the race before the weather got too rough to handle. The largest incident so far this year is, of course, the Femund Race. Several junior mushers were stuck on the mountain between Tolga and the finish line in Røros due to severe weather conditions. True, everyone are familiar with the rules, which state that rescue operations are only to be set in motion when participants have not moved at all in 24 hours, unless the musher requests to be rescued. However, there is no parent in the world who would not worry when their daughter or son are placed in a warm wind bag on their sled during a raging storm, while the message you get is that the snowmobile patrols were unable to reach them. Ylva Fjestad was stuck for the longest time out of all who were stuck. The 15-yearold was alone for 22 hours with her dogs before snowcats were able to reach her. A man on a snowmobile wanted to assist two trailbreaker snowmobiles who had gotten stuck in the snow. He ended up in a lonely blizzard without sufficient security equipment, and from what we understand; time was on his side when he was rescued. An hour or two more, and the situation could have been fatal. What is the point of this account of storms and misery during races? The point is what we are left with when it is all over. We are left with quite a lot, actually. All of us who organise sled dog races learn from past challenges. We learn to get better at readiness, routines, communication and weather analysis. Classic Easter weather with sunshine and just a few sub-zero degrees only teaches us to use the appropriate sun block. This year has taught us a lot more. Most importantly: We have never educated so many mushers during a year as we have during the past year. Lying still in a windbag, hoping for the weather to improve so that one can continue, or for someone to come and show the way. You learn from that. You get to test your limits, equipment, dogs and your own mental strength. Mushing from one stick to the next. Not seeing your lead dogs, or anything but a white bliss. That is when you learn to use your GPS, and perhaps you learn to take the weather reports more seriously. A few may choose to pack up and leave the mushing sport altogether, however, most are probably just more triggered to continue participating in this unique combination of sport and outdoor living. Congratulations on graduating to all of you who fought and fought with the forces of nature during this past year. We who organise the longest sled dog racing competition in Europe are most please to see so many mushers graduate with a pass! Happy trails! Best regards Trond A. Andersen, presse- og informasjonsansvarlig. 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 8 Dreaming of the Finnmark Race Marit Beate Kasin and Team Vinterdans (Winter Dance) have never participated in the Finnmark Race before. This year, however, she will be on the starting line of the FL-1000 race. TEKST: FOTO: Trond A. Andersen Private / Cathrine Dokken - The Finnmark Race has been a dream ever since I started mushing in 2008. I have to admit that at first it seemed like an unlikely dream. Yet with dedicated work and targeted training, we have slowly come to realise that we will actually be able to do it. We have had a great training and race season so far, and I can hardly wait to lift the snow anchor in Alta and hit the trails, Kasin says. The dog-loving girl from Notodden, southern Norway, was no rookie to working with dogs when she got into mushing. She grew up with Riesenschnauzer and Akita, and had her own Border Collie at the age of 12. However, working with dogs as a pack was a new and challenging experience. There have been many funny moments, in particular during the early years, with much trying and failing. - I can still remember our first sled trip. We did not know how the brakes worked, so Susana ran behind the team and I while holding tightly on to a rope and trying to slow us down. We did not get that far, Kasin reminisces. A lot has happened since then. Marit soon got the hang of it and has performed well in races during the past few years. This year she finished 3rd at Gausdal Marathon 300. She considers having only 15 dogs in training an advantage: FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 Marit Beate Kasin med treåringen Nanuk, som er eget opprett fra et kull hvor alle går på finnmarksspannet. Foto: prvat - That is how many dogs I can train well, without having to take two rides or leave dogs at home. There are pros and cons with having so few dogs. I must be very careful and preempt injuries all the time, however, it also gives me ample time for that special extra contact with the dogs. I can let them all run loose at the same time and really ‘see’ each of them. I try to balance a full-time job with training dogs and occasionally myself. That means a lot of training in the dark, after work in the winter, but with training seasons like this one, it is just a pleasure, Kasin says. and more active mushers here, Kasin says. Now she dreams of organising a spring race in Valdres and Jotunheimen, just like Pasvik Trail in the northernmost parts of Norway. – There are many amazing and beautiful areas in Valdres and the mountain region around us that I would love to share with others. This is what mushing means to us; packing the bag and the sled in order to go far, preferably along new trains and discovering new places. That is why I am so incredibly excited about the journey we are about to undertake across Finnmarksvidda, says Kasin. She and her partner Susana live on a farm in a mountain village in Valdres, about 2.5 hrs drive north-west of Oslo. It is a free and good life, living at the border of Jotunheimen, one of the highest mountain massifs in Northern Europe. 80% of all Norwegian mountaintops that exceed 2,000 m.a.s.l. are located here, in the wild and beautiful high mountains that are covered with snow from October to May. The team for the journey north is ready; Silje and Kjell Skattebo are joining forces with herself and chief handler Susana. The dog team looks good, and soon the wait is over: - Valdres is a musher’s Mecca. We have recently had 100 kilometres of new trails approved in the neighbourhood, and the mushing environment is growing. This year we had eight local teams signed on for the Femund Race, and seven of them were at the starting line in Røros. It is great to see that there are more - It will be fabulous to get to see all of Finnmark from the sled. We are going to perform and enjoy ourselves, and put into practise everything we have learned and trained for. Most important of all, we are just going to be present in the moment. The dogs are excellent trainers in that respect; they just live in the here and now. We are to gather memories and magic, one moment after the other. Out of all the people in the world, only 140 get to participate in the Finnmark Race this year. Imagine our luck! 9 Aouuuuu, hundene og Marit er klar for FL-1000. Foto: Cathrine Dokken 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 10 The Finnmark Race – Constantly evolving Since 1981, people and dogs have competed about arriving first at the finish line of the Finnmark Race. The start and finish line have always been in Alta municipality; however, a lot has changed during 35 years with one of the toughest sleddog races in the world. Niels Westphal Diverse TEKST: FOTO: FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 11 Three men and a few more dogs were on the start line in Gargia, south of Alta city centre, in 1981, to commence the first Finnmark Race ever. Little did those three know about how the Finnmark Race was to develop over the next 35 years. Today the race consists of several races. The longest trail has become even longer, and its route has changed many times. The award money has grown significantly. The interest from media and the public has exploded and the number of participants is ever increasing. This year we have 150 mushers signed on in four different classes, with further mushers on the waiting list. Only one class When the three participants of the first Finnmark Race started, there was just one class in the race. The trail crossed the plains and mountains in the western parts of Finnmark County, and both start and finish took place at Strand Camping, a few kilometres south of Alta city centre. The trail measured some 250 kilometres, and no snowmobiles broken trail. During the following years, the trail distances varied, though gradually it increased over time. The number of kilometres to cover did not change the results, however. Sven Engholm won each time. In 1985, the race was organised into two classes. This presented participants with the opportunity to run either in the ‘limited’ class with a maximum of eight dogs in front of the sled, or in the ‘open’ class with no regulation on the number of dogs. The distance was some 700 km, and it was the same for both classes. In addition to having one winner in each class, the fastest team of all, regardless of class, was named Champion. However, the new features of the race did not prevent Sven Engholm from winning again. Even when racing in the ‘limited’ class in 1986 with only eight dogs in front of the sled, he was the fastest musher of them all. The Alaskan role model After a while the title of Champion was disused, and in 1992 the two classes went their separate ways. The limited class race got a shorter trail, whereas the open class race got a longer trail than before. The trail now extended an extra round to Skaidi, where the weather is often very rough, and it also went to Stabbursnes in Porsanger, which meant that the total distance was more than 900 kilometres. Nevertheless, there was still a vivid debate about whether the Finnmark Race should have one or two classes. Rita Hallvig, Race Marshall for this year’s Finnmark Race, participated in the limited class in 1993, for the first time. She recalls endless discussions at the many members’ and annual meetings of Alta Sleddog Association. - Many mushers wanted to have just one class, based on the model from the Iditarod, and they argued that it would be easier to manage just one race. However, the musher population was divided and the topic was frequently on the agenda. In 1997 the annual meeting of the local association decided to not continue having a ‘limited’ class and aim for just one class in the Finnmark Race for a trial period of two years. En fjern forløper til LED-hodelykte..? Sven Engholm en gang på 80-tallet. Foto: ukjent - The argument was that this would allow for testing how it would work out, in particular with regard to the number of participants, Rita Hallvig says. The removing of the ‘limited’ class soon proved to be a mistake. The number of participants in 1998 was less than half of what it had been in the year before, and the number was even lower in 1999. Thus, in 2000 the shorter distance was re-introduced, and was to be called ‘limited class’ for a few more years. It was a success from the start, and the 2000 race saw a record high number of participants, both in the limited class as well as for the race in total. - Some of the discussants would have liked to try out having just one class for a few more years, but the debate about whether or not to have a limited class never really returned. Rita Hallvig says. In 1999, there were 16 participants in the Finnmark Race. The following year they were 62. Rennleder i Finnmarksløpet, Rita Hallvig Foto: Trond A. Andersen In 1999, there were 16 participants in the Finnmark Race. The following year they were 62 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 12 1 The Finnmark Race goes corporate The 2001 had a very noble participant. The Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise was the race’s guest of honour and sat in Roger Dahl’s sled from the start line in Bossekop to the re-start in Sorrisniva. The media attention that followed the princess renewed an ongoing debate about the future of the race. Was it still to be based exclusively on volunteer efforts, or was one to try to organise it in a way that provided financial basis for employing a CEO to take the race and the organisation onwards? The latter option was chosen, and in that same year, a limited company was established. Alta Sleddog Association was the largest owner, alongside with five private investors. Gunnar Nilssen is at present acting CEO of the company, and he is also one of the five original investors in the race and has been around since the beginning. - All of us who were asked to join in the establishing of the company had our background from the tourism industry in Finnmark. We thought the race had a significant potential for playing a role in boosting the entire tourism industry in the county, and in particular, during the winter season, what with winter tourism being in an early phase back then, Gunnar Nilssen says. The first and most important goal was to find the right CEO, a goal that was reached with assistance from the then-SND (today: Innovation Norway). - Having SND on board was a key factor during the start-up phase, Nilssen says. FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 1. Gunnar Nilssen er en av eierne som har lagt ned utallige dugnadstimer for å løfte Finnmarksløpet. Foto: Trond A. Andersen 2. Inger-Marie Haaland ble første kvinne til å vinne FL-1000 . Foto: Kjell O. Brun 3. Lars Monsen er en av Norges største kjendiser. Friluftsmannen har gitt sporten og Finnmarksløpet mye PR. Foto: Therese N. Andersen 4. Fra 2009 har NRK sendt daglige sendinger fra Finnmarksløpet. En utrolig viktig faktor for løpets framgang. Foto: Gunnar Outstad 5. Friske fraspark. Hundekjøring er ingen lett øvelse. Deltakerne sparker, springer og hjelper hundene så godt de kan. Foto: Geir Stian A. Larsen Bringing all of Finnmark on board The next key milestone in the Finnmark Race history happened in 2003. The FL-1000 trail was adjusted and prolonged to also reach Kirkenes, which led the race through new municipalities like Karasjok, Tana, Nesseby and Sør-Varanger. Gunnar Nilssen considers this one of the most important milestones of the race’s 35 years of history. - Having the race go all the way to Kirkenes and back made it become a race for the entire county. It tied east and west, coast and inland together, and the Finnmark Race became a joint project for the entire county, he says. The new municipalities were very enthusiastic towards the race. The new, exciting and demanding trail from Alta to Kirkenes and back also sparked a renewed interest from mushers both at home and from abroad. Internet boost Once upon a time, not too long ago, a local journalist compared the Finnmark Race with watching paint dry. His argument was that it was impossible to actually follow the race. After the mushers had started off in Alta, they were never seen again. No one knew who was in the lead at any given point of time, nor did one know what was going on at the checkpoints or, even, who eventually won the race. With a bit of luck, the local newspapers would cover the story a couple of days later. 2 3 4 5 13 Then came internet. In 2004, the web interest exploded, and since then the Finnmark Race has established its own press centre during that the race covers updated news and results 24/7. In recent years GPS tracking of each musher has become common, there are live web cameras from checkpoints and live shows streamed online. Last year the race web site had nearly one million visitors during the week of the race, in addition to hundreds of followers in social media. NRK on board For a long time it was hard to capture the interest of other media. Local media would cover the race closely, but on a national level there would only be the random article now and then, and infrequent stories on TV sport shows. - As early as in 2001, we had a meeting with Vegard Ulvang, who was one of our first sponsors. He praised the race; however, he was also crystal clear that this would not take off until we got on national TV. His input helped motivate us to work with long-term goals in mind in order to achieve this, says acting CEO Gunnar Nilssen. And long-term it had to be. Only in 2009 did NRK (the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) get on board, and every year since they have had daily live shows from the Finnmark Race. - It was the achieving of an old goal, and it has contributed most positively to the public attention towards the Finnmark Race, says Nilssen. Women win For a long period of time, mushing was a sport dominated by mature men with big beards, as was the Finnmark Race. Men were in significant majority, though this was to change. An increasing number of women participated in the race, in particular in the FL-500 race, and in 2005, Hilde Askildt became the first female gold medallist when she won, and Katy Meier won the silver medal. The next year Erle Franzen won, with Nina Skramstad bringing home the bronze medal. In 2006 women won all the medals of the FL-500, when Elisabeth Edland won and was followed by Kati Meier and Mona Kolstad. Later that year May-Conny Johansen was the only woman to start the longest race. She beat almost all the men and became the first woman to win a medal in that race. I think we pay more attention to detail, and perhaps we are a bit more caring by nature, which of course benefits the dogs, said May-Conny in order to explain her success. Three years later a woman finally brought the FL-1000 gold medal home. Inger-Marie Haaland entered the annals with her victory in 2009, and when she repeated that achievement three years later, the female dominance was overwhelming, with Katy Meier winning the FL-500 that year. - Women are often too humble in male dominated arenas. Women who really want to, can make it anywhere, Haaland said to the press after her race. There are still more men than women on the start line in Alta, but the number of female participants is increasing, and they keep winning. Last year Sigrid Ekran became the second woman ever to win the FL-1000 race, while Ronny Wingren from Finland just barely managed to fence off the veterans Hilde Askildt and Elisabeth Edland in the FL-500. Ready for the young Experience is a key factor for succeeding in sleddog racing. The young mushers do not have an easy job trying to make their way into competitions, nor is it easy for them to gain experience, as there are relatively few races for junior mushers. Therefore the Finnmark Race introduced a junior race last year, where four bold and skilled mushers aged 15-17 participated. Erik Loftsgård made history when he won the first FL-Junior Race ever. The victorious young man was overflowed with joy upon winning and had his future plans ready: - We are thinking in a longer term to participate in the FL-500 race and perform well there in a few years, said the 17-year old upon finishing the race. This year there are as many as ten mushers signed up for the 200 km long FL-Junior Race. What happens next during and to the Finnmark Race remains to be seen. The only thing that is for certain is that the race will continue evolving in the years to come. 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET OFFICIAL 19 FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 FL SHOP 19 15 My lead dog - 30 mushers tell of their lead dog experiences Books about long distance sled dog racing are few and far between, particularly in Norway. However, in a few days’ time a breath of fresh air hits the bookshelves. The title is ‘Min lederhund’ – ‘My lead dog’. We have asked author Inger Ellen Eftevand Orvin to write a few words about the background for and contents of this book. The idea of collecting good lead dog stories into a book came to me when I in the early 2000s visited Harald Tunheims dog yard in Alta. I left with two important achievements – one was a dog that was to mean a lot to my family, the other was a story about a lead dog that turned the whole dog team around on-trail in the Alaskan wilderness, in order to pick up its owner, the musher. I had never heard of anything like it before. I was already fascinated with the relationship between musher and lead dog, and I had gained enough experience as a musher to understand that it requires a lot of time, patience and competence to train a dog in order for it FOTO: Privat The book ‘My lead dog’ did not become a recipe. Rather, it became a collection of stories about the ultimate challenges the musher faces in cooperation with his or her lead dogs. Race experiences matter in most of these stories. That is where the relationship between dog and musher are put to the test, when facing all elements over a longer period of time. That is where you can tell whether you have succeeded with your training and building of relationships. Some mushers tell about a particular dog, others tell of experiences with several dogs. For some, training matters. For others, the selection of lead dog talents is the key success factor. What they all have in common, is that there is a moment that they will never forget. to be a lead dog of that calibre. I did, at the time, not pay too much attention to the fact that it also required a talented dog. to emphasize that this book is not in any way a ranking of either dogs or mushers. The best stories may not even be told yet. Like so many good ideas, this one, too, was shelved. Until the Finnmark Race 2014. Being an armchair musher, I saw Ronny Frydenlund cross the finishing line while his old lead dog Herman was waiting in the finish area. That was when I decided – Herman just had to be in my book! During the past few months, I have been on an exciting adventure. Some stories have just come to me, others I have had to dig up. It is important for me Mushing is an experience sport. ‘Min lederhund’ – ‘My lead dog’ – presents the reader with a unique opportunity to participate in thousands of kilometres on the sled. Good read! Kind regards, Author Inger Elle Eftevand Orvin More information and ordering available at www.minlederhund.no 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 16 Nordkapp Honningsvåg Havøysund NORSKEHAVET 889 N OT N ANGE REVSB E 69 LAKSEFJORDEN Kjøllefjord PORS Hammerfest 94 FI N NMAR 98 E6 ALTAFJORDEN Le Lakselv Skoganvarre Start og mål Alta E6 E6 Jotka TROMS FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 Løypas lengste etappe: Karasjok - Alta 141 km 93 Karasjok Suossjavri 92 Jergul 17 Mehamn B A RE N T S H AVE T TANAFJORDEN Berlevåg 888 Båtsfjord Vardø 891 890 E 75 98 Tana bru K VA R A N G E RFJO R D E N Vadsø Varangerbotn E6 886 Sirma E6 Neiden Kirkenes FINLAND Levajok 885 UTSNITT Nikel E 75 1.000 km tilsvarer avstanden fra Oslo til Mo i Rana RUSSLAND FL-junior (maks. seks hunder i spannet). Ellentjern FL-500 (maks. åtte hunder i spannet). FL-1000 (åpen klasse, inntil 14 hunder). 30 km © Visit our website: http://www.nyhetsgrafikk.no/ 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET Kilde: www.finnmarkslopet.no 18 PROFILE FL-1000: SIGRID EKRAN During that time she has learned to master the Alaskan wilderness on her own, with dogs, she has raced three Iditarods and thus earned $ 45,400 in rewards from the world’s longest sleddog race. She has won the longest Femund Race twice, last time in 2011 – which earned her the World Champion title. She has received multiple Best Dog Care Awards, and last year she put the jewel in the crown by winning her first victory in the FL-1000 race. Nor do we forget that she wedged in between Roger Dahl and her tutor, Robert Sørlie, in 2011. She finished 2nd that FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 year, and Robert had to let go of the cabin he would otherwise have won, based on best accumulated position for the 2010-2011 period. Sigrid lives her dream life at a farm in Lomsjødalen, together with her boyfriend, handlers and just over 30 huskies. When the mushing season is over, she will often go on exciting expeditions – preferably as a guide. A few years ago, she declined to appear on Norway’s largest prime time talk show. In 2014, the show, largest of its kind in Scandinavia, was more successful at its attempt. We got to meet a cool lady who was neither a primadonna nor uptight in any way, and she even demonstrated how to relieve oneself while standing on a dogsled. I will eat my favourite hat if there isn’t a biography about her before too long. In 2015 she may enter our annals as the first musher ever to win the FL-1000 two consecutive years, ever since the race trail started going to Kirkenes and back. FOTO: Kjell O. Brun Sigrid is the reigning World Champion and also reigning FL-1000 champion. Despite her young age, she can look back upon an amazing mushing career so far. This sport requires, as much knowledge as physical stamina and it is not uncommon for mushers to have passed 40 years of age when they start performing really well. Sigrid is only 34 and has only been mushing for a decade. Tlf: 483 01 700 19 PROFILE FL-500 RNB: EVELINE KOCH Eveline is an exciting profile. She originally comes from the Netherlands, though she has lived in Sweden for 13 years and participates under the blue-and-yellow flag. She runs the Vargvass Kennel together with the most famous Siberian Husky breeder in the Nordic countries, Karsten Grønås. Vargvass is well known for its excellent competition lines in their dogs, and this has resulted in several top placements for races in mid- and long distance. Up until now Karsten has been the one to join the long races, whereas Eveline has joined the mid-distance races. Now that Mr Grønås has retired from race participation, Eveline is the chief musher. Maybe that’s not such a bad idea – she recently finished 3rd in the 300 km long Tobacco Trail race, in competition with many good Alaskan Husky teams. - Well, of course, we hope for cold temperatures, Eveline says with a laugh. Siberian Huskies are robust dogs with thick fur, and they perform well in extreme cold weather, whereas they are not too keen on mild temperatures. It is hard for them to regulate their body temperatures with their thick fur. When asked why Siberians usually cannot quite compete with the speed of mixed-breed dogs such as Alaskan Huskies, she mentions two factors. One is that the dogs do not like to exhaust themselves completely. The other is that it is harder to breed when there are few breeding lines to choose from. 95% of all Siberian Huskies have been bred for show purposes, and they are photo models rather than marathon athletes. – They are not interesting for our purposes, is Eveline’s clear-cut statement. She will compete with 10 other teams about the WCh gold medal in the FL-500RNB class. FOTO: Privat Before we start talking about Eveline, we should probably explain what the FL5000RNB class is all about. When there is a World Championship, it is a requirement that there is a separate class for the pure-breed polar dogs. All the participants in the FL-500RNB use the same trail at the same time as the ordinary FL500 competition. They compete about the same money and gift awards. In addition to this, however, there will be a separate list of results and separate medals for the pure-breed dogs. Greenland dogs, Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds and of course, Siberian Huskies are the pure-breed polar dogs used for sleddog racing. The Siberians are the fastest of the four, and they are the ones who are pulling Eveline’s sled. I must confess to not knowing too much about her competitors, though we have a feeling that Eveline Koch might just earn a medal in this year’s race. There must be some leeway for gut feelings! 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 20 Trailbreakers Drives 25,000 km before the Finnmark Race When the first dog team hits the trails of the Finnmark Race on 7 March, two men on snowmobiles are out there a bit ahead of the dogs. These are the trailbreakers, and their job is to make sure the trail is in order before the dog teams arrive. For the trailbreakers, the race started weeks earlier.t Niels Westphal Løypekjørere og Trond A. Andersen TEKST: FOTO: - In eastern Finnmark the trail job started at the end of January. We would have loved to start then out west too, however, the ‘Ole’ storm forced us to postpone it for another week, says Trail Manager Magne Johansen. The Finnmark Race trail network stretches across 1,200 kilometres across most of Norway’s largest county. While some part of the trail follows regular snowmobile trails, large parts of the race trail has to be set and marked by the race trailbreakers. That job has to start long before the race commences. Never identical trail Magne Johansen has worked on the Finnmark Race trails for 28 years. This year he leads a group of 25 men who drive at least 25,000 kilometres on snowmobiles in order to make the best possible trails for mushers and their dogs. For anyone who enjoys riding a snowmobile it might sounds like a dream job. However, for Magne and his crew, who all do this as volunteers, the focus is not on riding snowmobiles. - It is hardly about riding the snowmobiles at all. It is more about hours spent on hard work, marking the trails, clearing through woods and a lot of thinking and planning both ahead and along the way in order to choose the best routes, he says. Even if the trail has been planned on the map prior to the trailbreakers hitting the trails with their snowmobiFINNMARKSLØPET 2015 les, many larger and smaller decisions have to be made along the way. - We make choices the whole time. On the rivers, we might run into surface water, which we have to find ways of avoiding. The wind may have created snowdrifts or snow overhangs that we need to take into consideration, or it may have blown away the snow and left areas barren, so that we have to adjust the trail accordingly. The trail is hardly ever identical from one year to the next, and adjustments are made continuously, says Johansen. Local know-how The trailbreaking crew live scattered around the county, and they are all familiar with the peculiarities of their respective sections of the trail. That local expertise is decisive for finding the best trail choices, in particular if storms, cold or thaw requires that changes be made to the trail during an ongoing race. Experience and local expertise can also be crucial for making the right decisions when the conditions get rough. - Last year the snowmobiles had to turn around between Skoganvarre and Levajok and return during the race. They had problems with one of the snowmobiles and the wind tore the windscreen of the other snowmobile. It was crucial that our crew there were experienced enough to take that hard, but correct decision about turning around, says Johansen. 21 According to Magne Johansen, recruiting trailbreaking crew has never been a problem. Most members of the crew have served for years and prefer to recruit their own people. – Those who are on the crew already prefer to recruit people they know. If you are to be out in the mountains through all kinds of weather it is important to know who you have with you and that you can rely on them, he says. Focus on security Both prior to and during the race the trailbreaking crew can run into all kinds of weather. Strong winds, freezing cold, heavy showers and blizzards. Most things are normal during the Finnmark Race. This year Magne and his crew have increased their focus on security, also for their own crew. - We have gone through our security again, having a.o. the experiences from this year’s Femund Race in mind. We are making sure that all snowmobile trailbreakers bring with them windbags and other security equipment when they are out. This might of course also come in han- dy should a musher get in trouble so that we have to assist, the Trail Manager says. Soon after his conversation with Ciiko, he puts his snowmobile gear back on again. This time the Alta River trail is to be prepared. Once the race is over, however, going on a snowmobile trip does not exactly appear tempting for Magne Johansen¬. - After the Finnmark Race is over, I think a snowmobile is the last thing I want to see, he says with a smile. Stolt sponsor av TA HUNDETRENINGEN TIL NESTE NIVÅ! Vi ønsker Nina Skramstad og Sigrid Ekran lykke til med sesongen og at treningen med Polaris Sportsman har gitt resultater! 850 XP FOREST PRIS FRA KR. 96700,-. OBS! BEGRENSET ANTALL MASKINER 600 IQ WIDETRAK FÅ BEDRE GREP PÅ SNØ. KJØP MED BELTER. • Ny differensial på foraksling med AUTOLOK® og motorbrems (ADC) • Progressiv servostyring (EPS) • Integrert feste for snøskjær Nå til en kjempe pris! • Sterk og kraftig motor • Ekte 4-hjulsdrift Vinterens beste scooterkjøp? • Individuell fjæring med doble a-armer Det er Widetrak IQ 600 som tråkker spor til Finnmarksløpet Denne scooteren er ekstremt driftssikker og er like god til arbeid som til glede. Her får du en maskin som drar deg over fjellet og gjennom skogen. 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET WWW.POLARISINDUSTRIES.NO • FACEBOOK.COM//POLARISNORWAY Ett samarbete med Santander Consumer Bank 22 Why organise a WCh – and what is the IFSS? Last things first; the IFSS – the International Federation of Sleddog Sport – is the international sleddog federation, i.e. the overarching unit that organises all sleddog racing across the world, whichever area of the sport. ‘All’ sleddog racing means ‘all kinds’ of races, be it cross-country competitions with bikes, carts or even canicross (where one person runs in the terrain with one dog in front of him/ her), sleddog racing in sprint, mid-distance or long distance races, as well as ‘ski-dog’, or ‘Nordic style’ as we prefer to call it in Norway, where the two-legged athlete follows the dog/s on skis. Sleddog racing is done in different ways around the world. The conditions in Australia are much different from those in Norway; hence, the way one organises and exercises the sport, as well as the challenges one faces, are also quite different from one another. Nevertheless, it is all sleddog racing. While Norwegians have insulated dog houses due to the cold, the dog houses in Australia have air conditioning. Where we have to take reindeer and sheep into consideration, snakes in the dog pen are the major challenge Down Under. The political and climate conditions differ too. While we in Norway argue about whether or not to give ulcers medicine to our dogs during races, and vaccinating them against flu or not, the Dutch do not permit training or competing with anything but polar breeds. In South Africa all kinds of sleddog racing is prohibited, whatever the dog race. While we in Norway discuss whether or not the Femund Race should be cancelled when the wind reaches hurricane speed or when the temperatures are 40 C below zero, competitions in Mexico have to finish by 7 a.m. due to the hot climate. The national sleddog federations around FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 the world are constitutive members of the IFSS. The largest part of the members come from the Scandinavian countries, the USA and Canada, however, Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic are also significant members. Some countries have large and strong federations. Norway with its 5,000 members, Finland with its 15,000 and some great sleddog nations have weak national federations, such as the USA and Canada with fewer than 500 members. Both historically and culturally, Norway has a quite different tradition and history of sleddog racing from that of the rest of the world. We are proud of our polar explorer Roald Amundsen, and many contemporary mushers started their sleddog racing career operating sleddog driven ‘ambulance sleds’ on ski slopes around the country. In North America, the Indians’ hunting traditions and later the gold rush in Alaska laid the foundations for the sport. The Iditarod, and perhaps even the Finnmark Race, was inspired by the diphtheria medicine relay race from Fairbanks to Nome in 1924. That was also the race that made Leonard Seppala famous. People in the rest of the world do not ski, but they read Jack London and find Siberian Huskies, as well as other polar breed dogs, quite charming and pretty. After a while they found out that the dogs needed training too – and perhaps to compete with other huskies? The desire to preserve the breed’s unique features while also seeing them compete with likeminded dogs has been a clear guide line in the breeding work. The main point has arguably been to preserve the polar breeds, even though they pull a bit slower along the trail. Many polar dog enthusiasts in Norway consider this quite useless; however, there is no gene- ral agreement on this in Norway either. Many parts of Europe take pride in mushing pure-breed dogs. Many of the IFSS countries prefer to use polar breeds, and many of their activities spring from the polar breed societies. There are several international associations for mushing with pure-breed dogs; however, whether or not these associations are members of the IFSS varies. Sadly, we have come to see during recent years that not everyone recognise the importance of having a clean and doping free sport. Cheaters have found their way into sleddog racing too. Even though the problem has not been too extensive so far, it is nevertheless a very serious one. The use of doping in a dog-based sport takes on an extra dimension, as animal welfare standards come into consideration. For true animal lovers this also carries a third dimension: People can chose whether or not to use doping, whereas the dogs are at the mercy of their owners. That is one of the reasons why the IFSS pays a lot of attention to doping, even though the problem has not been too extensive so far. As stated above, much of the sleddog racing sport in large parts of the world has its origins in the polar breed dog environments, and that is why RNB (Registered Nordic Breed) will be a separate race class in the WCh and the Finnmark Race. For a long period of time, long-distance mushing was in many respects a branch of its own, slightly apart from other sleddog sports. You would mostly find Norwegians and Alaskans racing long distances, whereas the rest of the world preferred to keep it shorter. Training conditions were, of course, a part of the explanation. The world outside of Alaska and Norway did not realise how great and exciting long distance mushing is, and it was only when Norway hosted the 2011 World Championships that long distance was established as a separate WCh class. Many good and large things stem from a narrow start, so also the IFSS and the Finnmark Race. The Finnmark Race had three participating teams in 1983 and covered some 200 kilometres. Today the race holds WCh status. Participants from more than a dozen countries line up to start, and a Junior Class has been established as a separate WCh class for the first time ever. Much of this is possible because the Finnmark Race has adapted and adjusted to the requirements asked of all potential WCh candidates, also abroad. The Finnmark Race has been cooperating well and has demonstrated excellent ability to adjust its magnificent event into suiting also the WCh requirements, according to international rules and standards. Classes and distances have been adjusted, procedures for foreign national team mushers have been established, as has cooperation with the IFSS about administration procedures and DID, doping test and procedures are in place, technical delegates and Race Marshal are approved by the IFSS, ceremonies have been adjusted, international representatives are even invited, and there are uniquely WCh designed clothes and other effects in place. Thus, many small and some large adjustments and initiatives that when combined demonstrate that the Finnmark Race is an excellent World Championship and at the same time a unique long distance race with rich traditions. On behalf of the IFSS, I wish everyone involved the best of luck with this year’s race. Both participants and organisers, not to mention the hundreds of volunteers who do an amazing job in Alta, along the trail and at the checkpoints. This will be a memorable experience for all! All the best for the Race, and congratulations on the World Championship! Arild Eidsvold IFSS Vice President The race follows the WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) rules and the Finnmark Race has good cooperation with the Norwegian Food Safety Authorities, which also hold supervisory powers regarding animal welfare. The FSA is often more active and careful with visits and controlling activities when there is a WCh in Norway. 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET PUBLIKUMSPROGRAM FL-2015 FOTO: Geir SSan Altmann Larsen FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 25 PROFIL FL-junior: ELISABETH UGLEBAKKEN In 2015, her dream comes true – she is to participate in the Finnmark Race. At the age of 16, she has to join the Junior class of the race. And Elisabeth has used the season well. She qualified for the race through winning the Alta 2-Day race, followed by a new victory a month later in Troms Quest. Her team proved to be very fast. During the Alta 2-Day Race all the junior mushers got to taste proper winter storms. Elisabeth was one of the mushers who did not get stuck on the mountain with a total whiteout, but it was nevertheless a rough race for her too. – In the mountains I managed to stay calm and focused even though the weather was rough. The dogs sensed that, and everything went well. Once I arrived at the checkpoint and had cared for the dogs, I had a bit of a reaction when I heard that many of the others were stuck on the mountain. I got tremendous respect for the forces of nature after that experience, and I always bring a windbag and a sleeping bag for extreme colds when I train in the mountains now, the 16-year old emphasizes. Now she can hardly wait to cross the starting line in Alta’s main street. – It has given me goose bumps when my dad has hit the trails there, with thousands of people cheering him on. Imagine, this time it’s me! I am so lucky to get to do this, Elisabeth Uglebakken says. She is definitely one of the favourites to winning a medal at the FL-Junior Race. FOTO: Trond A. Andersen A few years ago, Elisabeth was handler for her father Vidar during the FL-500 race. That sparked her dream about one day starting the race on her own. Da vi het Økonor telte vi hundespann på Finnmarksløpet. Det gjør vi forsatt. Vis oss din lidenskap - få enda bedre resultater! Økonor i Alta er nå Accountor. Accountor, Løkkeveien 9, 9510 Alta www.accountor.no 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET Foto: Kjell O. Brun Vi liker å telle. Siden vi startet tellingen har vi vokst fra 50 mennesker til å bli den største leverandøren av regnskaps- og rådgivingstjenester i Nord-Europa. Hele tiden med en sterk overbevisning: Bak alle suksesser ligger lidenskap. Vår lidenskap er å hjelpe andre å skape resultater. 26 PROFILE FL-500: MILOS GONDA FOTO: It is easy to describe Milos Gonda from Slovakia. He is one of the most obvious winning candidates. We do, of course, have to take a closer look at the 37-year old who lives in Sweden. The 2015 race will be the second time he participates in the FL-500 race. His first attempt did not go too well, that is, in the eyes of his competitors. He performed strongly throughout the entire race and finished first, well ahead of # 2 and 3. Not only does he have strong dogs, he is also very fit himself. He has participated four times in the French Alp Race ‘La Grande Odyssèe’ – we are talking about a race trail that literally runs up more or less vertical downhill ski slopes. He won it once and finished 2nd the other three times. That is nothing but impressive. He has also entered the Pasvik Trail race twice, finishing 1st once and 2nd once. He has also won the most prestigious race in northern Sweden, Tobacco Trail. This constitutes pretty much his entire race career. Milos either wins or finishes 2nd – what a legacy! It will be hard to keep him away from the medals, and the gold medal just might go to Slovakia. Illustrasjonsfoto: Tine Poppe Ida trenger en tydelig og omtenksom voksen i livet sitt Et meningsfylt oppdrag i eget hjem? Noen barn og unge har behov for ekstra oppfølging. I et statlig familiehjem har en av de voksne oppdraget som fosterforelder på heltid. Hammerfest 466 15 420 Tromsø 466 15 430 FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 Sortland Bodø 466 15 440 466 15 450 27 PROFILE FL-1000: RALPH JOHANNESSEN Johannessen has participated in the FL1000 race all but 11 times. During his first few years it went so-so, and he scratched three consecutive years around the turn of the millennium. However, like we have said before; this a sport of experience. Ralph has experienced a lot. Even though he has only one victory in the FL-1000 race, his dogs have three. His former teamma- te Inger-Marie Haaland has lead the dog team in to two victories. When she won in 2009, one started talking about the super handler. Having a sharp eye for detail and tactics from the side-line, Ralph was in on the sport. With time, we have seen more super-handlers appear; however, Ralph got tired of standing on the side-line. Now he is competing for himself, and he does so thoroughly. If he is on the starting line, he’s there to win. He does not save resources for later races – competition is competition. Mr Johannessen has a lot of paybacks due. He has not raced since 2011, when he had to scratch, which was a major disappointment after his winning the 2010 race. Now he is all in for a new ATV, NOK 70,000, a World Champion title – and probably half the kingdom as well. FOTO: Few mushers have more sparkle in their eyes than this man from Bergen, Norway. An uncompromising competitor who manages to race with top-notch dog teams year after year, and in all competitions he enters into. Last year he had to realise that his Iditarod debut did not go quite as planned, though that was in no way due to faults with the dog team. It was more the forces of nature and near-death experiences on-trail that made Ralph cross the finish line in Nome as # 22. terapi & velvære Stolt samarbeidspartner. Vi er vokst opp i nord, vi skal leve i nord og vi skal utvikle verdiene i nord. 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET grafisk styling: zipmedia | foto: shutterstock.com 28 Good cooperation gives great results! Ishavskraft is the largest supplier of power in Troms and Finnmark, and the company is owned by the people living there. The will to cooperate and win characterises both two- and four-legged participants in the Finnmark Race. The same values have contributed to Ishavskraft today being a significant national supplier of renewable energy and future-oriented energy solutions. Teaming up with the environment - When we say ‘environment’, one of the things we refer to are the surroundings – both the vulnerable Arctic and majestic landscape that surrounds us, and also all the local good forces who contribute to a high quality of life up here, the forces that make us enjoy life and living here in the north, says Stig A. Hanssen, Marketing Director of Ishavskraft. The company is strongly engaged in environmental issues, which also leads to good results in the market. - We do, for instance, appreciate the fact that the inhabitants of our capital can travel with public transportation that runs on renewable energy from Ishavskraft for many years to come, Hanssen says with pleasure, adding that buildings such as the Opera House, the ParliaFINNMARKSLØPET 2015 ment, the Sami Parliament and the University of Oslo also run on pure electric power from Northern Norway. Ishavskraft also help their customers use energy more wisely, so that they need less of it, thereby reducing costs for both the customers and the environment. Ishavskraft leaves its mark where you live Conscious and professional power supply customers in our two northernmost counties have enabled Ishavskraft to compete on a national basis. - Our #1 priority will always be to ensure that our customers receive the best products and the best service available, says the Marketing Director. The company wishes to give back to the society that they are a part of and has a.o. created specific funds together with the sports federations in Troms and Finnmark in order to provide for new activities among children and youth. The company also supports local cultural initiatives, organisers, teams and associations in their efforts to create a vivid civil society to the benefit of us all. - The Finnmark Race is a great example of how cooperation between nature, people and animals creates developments and leads to results. As a proud sponsor of the Finnmark Race, we contribute to creating a bit of excitement in our everyday life. Ishavskraft leaves its mark where you live, Hanssen says with enthusiasm. He wishes the organisers, participants, partners, and not to mention the large number of volunteers, all the best for this year’s race. 29 PROFILE FL-500: VIDAR UGLEBAKKEN with two dog teams in each. His daughter Elisabeth has won two junior races out of two possible. His nephew Ole Christian has won two 8-dog team races out of two possible. In other words, all signs speak of high promises. The question is whether the musher himself will be race ready. - I think I will start the race myself, and we are in it to compete. Ole Christian is an excellent musher, and we stand a fair chance if it is he on the sled. The question is only whether he and the dogs know each other well enough. He will no doubt be among the favourites. FOTO: The first thing that has to be said before we start talking about Vidar, is that he might not actually join the race. Team Uglebakken has one of Norway’s best dog teams, most likely. However, the musher is a different story. Vidar hurt his leg last autumn, and the plaster was only removed one month before the race commences. Vidar is not sure if he will be fit enough to start, and if not, then that’s quite sad. In 2010, he joined his first Finnmark Race, finishing in 8th place of the FL-500 and receiving the Rooky of the Year Award. The following year he finished 10th, before living it up with a 4th place last year. In 2015, the team has started two races, 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET 30 Research on the mushers Long distance mushing is primarily about outdoor living and sporting competitions. However, mushing can also be decisive for choosing where to live, what to do and other important decisions in life. Research on mushers participating in the Finnmark Race and the Femund Race proves this. Source: «Friluftsliv i langdistanse sledehundekjøring» [Outdoor living in long distance sled dog racing] by Rune Waaler and Tor Oskar Thomassen, University of Tromsø. Researchers Rune Waaler and Tor Oskar Thomassen at the University of Tromsø have cooperated with colleagues at the University Colleges in Trøndelag and Buskerud and asked mushers participating in the 2013 and 2014 Finnmark Race and the 2014 Femund Race a series of questions regarding their motivation and thoughts about mushing. 125 respondents answered the questionnaire. The answers demonstrate that choosing to take up mushing can be a life-changing decision. 63 % of the mushers said that their being into mushing has been decisive for their choice of residence, either by moving to where they now live or by choosing to stay where they are because the place is well suited for mushing. Both outdoor life and training opportunities are decisive for mushers when they chose where to settle down. Outdoor life and dogs Most mushers consider their activity to be a sport as well as an outdoor life choice. However, when asked about why they first started mushing, their main motivation proves to be the outdoor living life style and the focus on dogs. That said, there are clear differences depending on which races the mushers participate in. For the participants of the shortest race, the Femund 400 Race, the sport-and-competition aspect of mushing is far less important, whereas spending time in the outdoors and being close to their dogs matters far more. For the participants of the longest races, the Femund 600 Race and the Finnmark Race FL1000, outdoor living and being close to the dogs is still very important. However, competing and participating on a competitive level in the sport also plays a significant part in their motivation. On a general basis, the research results show that outdoor life matters more to rookies, whereas the sports- and competitive elements matter more with increased experience. Other alternatives, such as ‘getting into the mushing environment’ or ‘fascination for polar heroes’ matter the least for all mushers regardless of which race they participate in. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that these alternatives rank higher among participants of the Femund Race than among those of the Finnmark Race. All-consuming activity A common feature for all respondents is that mushing takes up a lot of their time. The survey proves that the participants of the Finnmark Race FL-1000 spend more than 50 hours per week from November to April, while time spent is at its lowest during the summer months, with an average of just over 20 hours per week. The mushers who participate in the longest races clearly spend the most time mushing, and it is in particular the participants of the Finnmark Race FL-1000 who stand out, with a significantly higher number of hours spent on their sport during the winter months. The differences are smaller during summer and autumn. Given how much time they spend on their sport it may not come as a surprise that 93% of the mushers have mushing as their main interest. We can assume that the 7% who do not have mushing as their main interest may be handlers, or people who do not own the dog-team they participated with, but rath- er rented it for the duration of the Femund or Finnmark Race, the researchers write. Expensive and delightful The research results show that many mushers have had other interests and hobbies before, but that that has come to an end. Mushing takes up all of their time. It does not appear from the investigations whether mushing also requires all of their money; however, the scientists have asked whether mushing is work or a hobby. - The main impression we are left with is that mushers do not make money from their mushing, the researchers state. More mushers are able to generate income from their mushing among the participants of the Finnmark Race than those of the Femund Race. The research data also show that those making money are most likely to be among the most experienced mushers, among those with the highest amount of dogs and those who participate in the longest distance races. Eight people claim to have all their income from mushing. However, the expenses are also significant. Even though the mushers were not asked specifically about how much money they spend on their mushing, the researchers have discussed this issue with several mushers. Many suggest that in order to be ready to start the Finnmark Race they will spend close to NOK 150,000 (€ 17,000+). These expenses cover a.o. dog food, veterinary costs, petrol/fuel for cars and ATVs, maintenance of sleds, lines, harnesses and other equipment, as well as personal equipment and costs during the race itself. Mushing is definitely expensive, but it’s delightful too. FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 31 Over time, the Finnmark Race has developed a wide range of race related products. Husky eyes and our logo fit onto most products, just as we predicted, and the response to our products is excellent. However, not everyone is aware that we sell spin-off products throughout all the year, not just during the season. Those who take an interest in mushing are engaged in the sport year-round, regardless of green grass and high temperatures. Our summer collection has been very popular, however, the best response by far has been that of the ladies’ shirt with the statement «Der menn er menn og kvinner vinner!» [Where men are men and women win!]. We got the inspiration from the Iditarod quote «Where men are men and women win the Iditarod» after Suzann Butcher won that race four out of five years in Alaska a few years back. Back in Norway, women performed well in 2014 and won six out of nine medals. No wonder that we leave room for women to sparkle a bit extra! 2015 is the year when for the first time ever a World Championship is to take place in Finnmark. We do not see that opportunity every year. Many products in our range are related to the World Championship. Following a good dialogue and cooperation with the NHF (the Norwegian Sleddog Federation) and the IFSS, we are very pleased with the result of our WCh Collection. We hope our audience is pleased too. We have three shops that are open year-round. These are the Finnmark Race offices, our web shop and our own shop-in-shop section at Sport1 Alta. Immediately prior to and during the race we move the shop from our offices on the 1st floor of the Kunnskapsparken office building to a more prominent place on the ground floor of the same building. In our shop you will find everything from mouse mats to outdoor jackets. We have several cool new products in our range, and we hope you will like them. You are most welcome to either one of our three shops! Jannicke Mannsverk, Sales Manager, Finnmarksløpet AS Vi ønsker arrangør og deltakere lykke til i årets løp! Betongelementer Ferdigbetong Avløpssystemer i betong Tlf. 78 44 92 00 - [email protected] - www.jaro.no 2015 FINNMARKSLØPET Race list FL-2015 (20th february - 2015) FL-500/500RNB FINNMARKSLØPET 2015 51 Erik Martinez RNB FRA 52 Lars Erik Gausen NOR 53 Victor Halvorsen NOR 54 Ole Sigleif Johansen NOR 55 Marco Wyss SWI 56 Jan Slosar SVK 57 Anna Dorthea Yri NOR 58 Helle Seiertun Bjerke NOR 59 Terje Svendsrud NOR 60 Kristian Lauvland NOR 61 Daniel Juillaguet FRA 62 Andreas Tømmervik NOR 63 Ronny Wingren FIN 64 Silje Holmen Larsen NOR 65 Ove Grytbak NOR 66 Daniel Schwarz FIN 67 Vidar Aastrøm NOR 68 Niklas Rogne NOR 69 Erik Loftsgård NOR 70 Catherine Fontaine RNBFRA 71 Tomas Nyheim Lambela NOR 72 Eileen Strøm NOR 73 Stein Tage Domaas NOR 74 Kent-Gjøran Svendsen NOR 75 Marte Stensland Jørgensen RNB NOR 76 Ørnulf Jacobsen NOR 77 John Øivind Selmer NOR 78 Berit Astrid Utsi NOR 79 Sunniva Høiseth NOR FL-1000 01 Sigrid Ekran NOR 02 Jean Philippe Pontier FRA 03 Kjell Brennodden NOR 04 Nina Skramstad NOR 05 Emil Inauen SWI 06 Bjørnar Andersen NOR 07 Birgitte Næss Wærner NOR 08 Steinar Kristensen NOR 09 Ronny Frydenlund NOR 10 Ketil Reitan NOR 11 Tom Frode Johansen NOR 12 Yngve Fagerli NOR 13 May-Conny Johansen NOR 14 Roy-Åge Jensen Ugseth NOR 15 Kristian Walseth NOR 16 Kenneth Nilsen NOR 17 Jan Vidar Dahle NOR 18 Bjørn-Hugo KristoffersenNOR 19 Lars Monsen NOR 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 Stein Håvard Fjestad NOR Roger Fossøy NOR Amund Rognes Kokkvoll NOR Philip Ross GBR Petter Karlsson SWE Thomas Selvik Erlandsen NOR Jo Jøldal NOR Marit Beate Kasin NOR Mel Andrews GBR Hugo Hansen NOR Bernd Helmich GER Wolfgang Simon-Nilsen NOR Leif Herleiksplass NOR Arnt Ola Skjerve NOR Magnus Gorter Voie NOR Inger-Marie Haaland NOR Petter Jahnsen NOR Bernhard Schuchert GER Dag Torulf Olsen NOR Sébastien Vergnaud FRA Jan Øystein Dervo NOR Tore Bergby NOR Harald Tunheim NOR Per Weddegjerde NOR Thomas Rosencrantz SWI Juha Hokka FIN Hendrik Stachnau GER Ralph Johannessen NOR Miquel-Angel Martinez ESP Dag Broch NOR Marçal Rocias Palau ESP Tove Sørensen NOR Mikael Jutila FIN Bernhard Klammer AUT Magne Storstein NOR Krister Höök NOR Jo Are Brennodden NOR FL-junior 01 Anette Børve Hernes NOR 02 Guro Krempig NOR 03 Mina Skjøthaug Karlstrøm NOR 04 Charlotte Linnéa Rehnlund NOR 05 Hanna Lyrek NOR 06 Aud Kristin Bjørgum NOR 07 Elisabeth Uglebakken NOR 08 Helene Strøm NOR 09 Sofie Beddari NOR FOTO: STEINAR VIK 01 Janne Rosenlind NOR 02 Hilde Askildt NOR 03 Kim L. Utstøl NOR 04 Egil Eliassen NOR 05 Espen Hamnvik NOR 06 Leif Wilhelmsen NOR 07 Robin Johansen NOR 08 Ole Wingren FIN 09 Jørn Roger Strifeldt NOR 10 Berit Seljestokken NOR 11 Paavonpoika Kärenlampi Ptri P. FIN 12 Yngve Opgård NOR 13 Geir Wiik NOR 14 Sanja Heikkila FIN 15 Michael Shelkovin RNB RUS 16 Mailene Skjølås NOR 17 Trond Morten Helgesen NOR 18 Egil Lønne NOR 19 Martin André Aslaksen NOR 20 Lasse Gjerde NOR 21 Eveline KochRNB SWE 22 Istvan Drahos HUN 23 Marianne Dahlen NOR 24 Marianne Skjøthaug NOR 25 Vidar Uglebakken NOR 26 Helene Gran Øverli NOR 27 Milos Gonda SVK 28 Tore Figenschau NOR 29 Ludovic Farcy RNB FRA 30 Bente Levorsen NOR 31 Jose Sacristan ESP 32 Heidi Vogel RNB GER 33 Taisto Torneus SWE 34 Torkil Hansen NOR 35 Vidar Myklevoll NOR 36 Øyvind Jakobsen NOR 37 Baltasar Gallardo Gonzalez RNB ESP 38 Jim-Ove Pedersen NOR 39 Michael Hess RNB GER 40 Helge Hoftun NOR 41 Mikael Sundström FIN 42 Kjell Roar Åsvestad NOR 43 Elisabeth Edland NOR 44 Sølvi Monsen NOR 45 Alexander Schwarz FIN 46 Tom Hardy NOR 47 Hannu Tirkkonen RNBFIN 48 Karianne Reitan Hansen NOR 49 Christian Høy Knudsen NOR 50 Jørn Sødahl Kvam NOR