– It’s still cold here, but we all deal with that, says general manager Jon Anders Kokkvoll.
It was around 30 degrees below zero when the race started on Thursday morning.
Robert Sørlie and Thomas Wærner have previously won both the Femundløpet, the Finnmarksløpet and the Iditarod in Alaska.
Together with other well-known names such as Inger Marie Haaland and Lars Monsen, they drove out on the longest stage of 650 kilometers in the cold this morning.
Thomas Wærner from Torpa will not freeze his nose during this year’s Femund race.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
Later in the evening, those who drive 450 kilometers start.
Jørgine Vasstrand, also known as influencer Funkygine, is one of the candidates in this class.
There is also a junior class and a 200 kilometer class that starts on Friday.
Femund race
Expand/minimize fact box
- The Femundløpet is a long-distance dog race that starts in Femundsmarka and the surrounding area.
- The race is run over three distances. 650m, 400 km and a junior distance of 213 km.
- Start and finish are in Røros in Sør-Trøndelag, otherwise most of the race takes place in Hedmark.
- The race has checkpoints in Tufsingdalen, Drevsjø, Søvollen, Tynset, Grimsbu and Tolga before the finish line.
- The Femundløpet was organized for the first time in 1990.
- There is a dog handler who has taken part in all these races, and won ten of them, Robert Sørlie – also called mr. Femund race.
- For mer info:
Unproblematic cold
A total of 188 teams and 2,000 dogs are taking part this year, says Kokkvold.
He says the cold is not quite usual and that this winter has been a bit special, but there was never a question of cancelling.
– Here it is unproblematic. The dogs are very well looked after. It may cause some frost damage to the participants, but here there are people who are generally very well equipped to withstand a snow shower, severe wind or freezing temperatures.
Vets are also out at checkpoints and keep a close eye on the dogs.
– We are used to it being cold, so we just have to deal with it, Thomas Wærner told NRK just before he and the dogs left Røros.
Two dogs with the blanket, which will keep the dogs a little warmer in the cold.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
Running for the dogs that were killed
– In memory of the dogs that were killed in this race last year. I ride for them, said Carlos Javier Sánchez Caballo before starting the 650 kilometer race.
Last year, two dogs were hit and killed after driving over an unguarded crossing.
In retrospect have the organizer increased security due to the incident, and all road crossings must be manned from the first to the last participant.
Kokkvoll says they are spending just under NOK 200,000 on their own people standing at the border crossings this year.
Carlos Javier Sánchez Caballo lost his dogs during the Femund race last year.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
The Spaniard has two helpers with him. Salva Luque is one of them.
– He is so happy to return to Femund. He thought it was impossible to return, but friends helped Carlos get dogs for the race, he says.
– He is more ready, bigger and stronger and more “veteran”. He has a lot of confidence this year.
Spanish Luque came 2nd in this year’s Mining Race, after Robert Sørlie, but helps Caballo during the Femund race.
Salva Luque is a dog handler and is a “handler”, which means that he helps the dog handler during this year’s Femundløp
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
The Minister of Culture: – A great sport
Wednesday evening was the opening ceremony in Røros church.
Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery was the one who officially opened the Femundløpet 2024.
She went first in the queue with “the red lantern”, which lights up when the race opens, and goes out when the last driver has crossed the finish line.
The Storting gave NOK 2 million to the Femundløpet this year.
Lubna Jaffery was the first to walk in the torch train after the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening. She holds the flame to be extinguished when the last dog runner crosses the finish line.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
– It is a great sport. It is in many ways an extreme sport, and there are top athletes in the dogs who run these races, Jaffery said on Wednesday evening.
She hadn’t seen or tried dog sledding herself, until she herself got to join a trip late at night.
In her speech, she wished the drivers good luck and that they should enjoy the experience of driving through seven different municipalities, through nature reserves and through the reindeer grazing areas.
A dog walker gave “high-fives” to those who appeared outside the start.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
– It’s a fantastic experience and it’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be a great race, Jaffery said on Wednesday evening.
When the race is over, Kokkvoll is looking forward to next year.
– Then it’s just a matter of starting to plan for the WC 2025, he says.
Many people volunteered this year, says general manager Jon Anders Kokkvoll. He says there used to be around 650 volunteers. This year, 920 have signed up.
Photo: Joar Elgåen/NRK