The dog sleds competing in the Finnmarksløpet have now put behind more than half the distance of the race from Alta to Kirkenes and back again. In a five to seven day competition, depending on the speed, the dog sleds cross the entire Finnmark County in a 1000 kilometers race. A total of 36 dog sleds started the race. With 14 dogs in each sled there are more than 500 dogs running the full length of Finnmarksløpet.
Since Saturday the mushers and their 14 dogs have been almost constantly on the move and with very little sleep for the mushers. Finnmarksløpet is not only about making the dogs run fast. It is also a lot of tactics. When to take breaks, how long breaks, how to run your own race and avoid being stressed by other racers. Even though it is vital to run fast in order to win, it is almost equally important to have a good tactic.
As the race enters its last phase, there are six mushers who are less than two hours apart competing for the victory. It is 300 kilometers to go before the finish line, so nothing is final until the first dog sled pass the finish line in Alta. This will probably happen around midnight between Thursday and Friday.
Finnmarksløpets web page (English version)
