The start of this year’s Finnmark race has been hot. So hot that the dog walkers have stood knee-deep in water, and several had to replace their winter shoes with rubber boots. According to Yr, the temperature has been up to four plus degrees at Levajok in the last 24 hours, in addition to the sun beating down on the riders. But the plus degrees don’t just take their toll on the drivers, the dogs also feel hot on the plains. – It’s tough for the dogs when it’s as hot as this, says Tom-Frode Johansen. Tom Frode Johansen had to wear the rubber boots during Sunday’s stage due to the snow melting in the track. Photo: Øyvind Nordahl Næss / news news met him at the Neiden checkpoint after about half of the longest class, 1200km, has been completed. He was pulled into Neiden by 13 out of 14 dogs. – One of the dogs threw himself. He was probably overheated, so that dog has been in the sled all day, he says. – Not dog sledding weather The dogs in the team of Brage Nilsen Jæger in the 600 class have also had a hard time in the heat. – It’s not dog sledding weather. The dogs get hot, so you have to stop and let them bathe in the snow, says Nilsen Jæger. The hot weather makes it difficult for Nilsen Jæger to get the dogs’ appetites up. – The first day is always the toughest for the dogs, the same as for us drivers. Then you have to go through the night without sleep, he says. Brage Nilsen Jæger says the heat makes it difficult to get food into the dogs. The dogs, on the other hand, drink a lot of water, he says. The team of eight dogs consists of two two-year-olds, three three-year-olds and the rest four-year-olds. – You see especially young dogs getting so tired that they can’t even eat. Then you have to spend time feeding them little by little. Nilsen Jæger continues: – It is difficult to get fat in the dogs and get some flow. If it had been minus 10, it would have been something completely different. Guzzling water in the heat Thirsty, on the other hand, there is nothing wrong with it in plus degrees. – They have drunk an insane amount of water. I have emptied two full containers since Alta. That’s 12 litres, says Nilsen Jæger. He says that so far the dogs seem to be well hydrated. – That is what I am most satisfied with. Bjørnar Andersen won the Finnmark race in 2004. The conditions were even worse then than this year, says the super veteran. If there had been “normal” weather during the Finnmark race, Nilsen Jæger would have had high expectations: – Yes, with the training the dogs have, I’m sure it would have been a “walk in the park”. Veterinarian: – Very good with the dogs Veterinarian Celine Laforet says it goes well in the evening, because then the temperatures are colder. They believe that the dog walkers take good care of the dogs. – In general, I think they have been very good with the dogs – and careful. The vets were afraid that the dogs would eat worse because of the heat. Veterinarian Celine Laforet is satisfied with how the dogs are cared for. Photo: Hanne Bernhardsen Nordvåg / news – But it seems that everyone manages to get food. In general, we have been much more afraid that it has affected them more than it has, she says. Laforet believes that good consideration is given to high temperatures. Among other things, they have told the drivers in advance that they must be careful that the dogs must get enough liquid. – If the temperatures were not suitable, we would not compete. We haven’t been at those temperatures yet. The vets check all the dogs in the Finnmark race. Photo: Hanne Bernhardsen Nordvåg / news – Had water almost up to the knees For Hanna Lyrek, in the 1200 class, the race so far has been hot and wet. She has put the competition aside a bit. – When I drove up the river here, the conditions were so bad that I thought: “As long as we make it to the finish line, it’s fine”. Hanna Lyrek at checkpoint Neiden. Photo: Jan Helmer Olsen / news The veteran says that the hot temperatures create challenges. – The dogs are warm. The winter has been cold, so we have not trained in these conditions. Elisabeth Edland has broken four years in a row. Photo: Øyvind Nordahl Næss / news Another person who has felt the heat on the way to checkpoint Levajok is the pre-favourite Elisabeth Edland, 600 class. – A lot of water. And by that I mean a lot of water. Now I’m not that tall, but I had water almost up to my knees. She is mostly focused on finishing. – I have broken the last few races, so I just have to concentrate on getting to the finish line. A dog is supervised by two veterinarians at checkpoint Levajok. Several dog walkers have reported that the dogs feel hot in the scorching sun and plus temperatures. Photo: Øyvind Nordahl Næss / news Finnmarksløpet The Finnmarksløpet is a championship in dog sledding, long-distance sled dogs, in Finnmark. The race was first organized in 1981 by the Alta sled dog club with a start and finish in Alta. Finnmarksløpet is the world’s northernmost and Europe’s longest sled dog race. The race has a limited class of 570 kilometers with up to eight dogs (FL600) and an open class with up to 14 dogs (FL1200). From 2014 there was also a junior class. The Finnmark race has 12 checkpoints distributed from west to east in the county. Among other things in Kautokeino, Jergul, Levajok, Tana and Karasjok. If you are a “rookie” you are driving for the first time. If you are a “veteran”, you have run the race once before. Source: Store norske lexikon and Finnmarkslopet.no
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Dog overheated – Finnmarksløpet – news
