– It was a fantastic moment and very emotional. So there were some tears on the river, says Jens Kvernmo after the finish in Alta. On Tuesday afternoon, the adventurer finished in 15th place. Kvernmo is a “rookie”, i.e. a first-time driver in the Finnmark race, but he was the first driver in FL600 to finish with all eight dogs in the team. – I am very proud of that, says the first-time driver. – I have taken it easy and when I have met hikers along the trail I have stopped and had a coffee with them. We have fed ourselves to the max, says Kvernmo about the recipe to get all eight dogs to the finish line. Monsen bend Jens Kvernmo had a dog in the sled to the finish line in Alta. On the way down to Altaelva, the dog Mumi was unlucky in a bend that is named after another famous adventurer. – There is a sign that says Lars Monsen bend. Right there we raced downhill. He Mumi took a Lars Monsen and rolled down there. So there were eight dogs in the pack a mile before the finish, says Kvernmo. Jens Kvernmo had all eight dogs with him to the finish at FL600, but one dog was in the sled when he crossed the finish line. He was the first driver to do so over this distance. Photo: Finnmarksløpet Even if a dog was in the sled when he crossed the finish line, he is registered with eight dogs in the team when it reached the finish line. Borrowed dogs Jens Kvernmo has run the Femundløpet twice in addition to a few shorter races, before he stood on the starting line in the FL600 this year. In the past, he has been handler for the seasoned and former winner of both the Femund and Finnmark races, Arnt Ola Skjerve. According to the plan, Jens Kvernmo was supposed to have Arnt Ola Skjerve as handler and drive his dogs this year, but it didn’t work out that way. When that plan failed, Leif Tore Lie had a team he could drive. He is a mentor in dog sledding for the TV profile and influencer Jørgine Vasstrand, who has trained the team this winter. – I have to give a big thank you to the owner Leif Tore who has lent them, and Jørgine who has trained them, says Kvernmo. He goes on to say that it is very nice to be able to return the dogs in better shape than when he borrowed them. – I know that Jørgine wants to run the Finnmark race next year. So here she has the team. It’s a fantastic bunch. Jens Kvernmo was welcomed by young fans in Alta. Here he has a chat with Kine Alette Eira (8) and Sofia Iren Martinsen (8). Photo: Erlend Hykkerud / news Will run the longest distance The Finnmark race consists of two distances. One is 600 kilometers long, while the longest is 1,200 kilometers long. The dog handlers must qualify to run the longest distance. The adventurer did that when he crossed the finish line in Alta on Tuesday. Thus, he will probably be on the starting line at the start of the longest edition in the future. – The dream is to complete the longest Finnmark race, but I don’t have enough dogs. I don’t know if it will be until next year, because I have to borrow some dogs first, laughs Kvernmo. Jens Kvernmo tells about the last few days behind the sled. – The biggest moment The most important thing Kvernmo takes with it from its debut in the Finnmark Race is the public life at the start and throughout the race. – On the way out there was an electric atmosphere in the streets and lots of people along the trail. The Finnmark Race is a folk festival and it was fantastic to take part in, says the adventurer. Jens Kvernmo finished with all eight dogs he started with from the center of Alta on Saturday. The folk life in Alta and around the trail is what he wants to take with him further in life. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news The high-profile outdoorsman from Ogndal in Steinkjer municipality has been on many trips and adventures in Norway and elsewhere in the world. – It is at the height of everything I have done in the past. Right now, this is the greatest moment of my life. Finnmark is absolutely magical. So I wish everyone to experience exactly that, says the 37-year-old about running the Finnmarksløpet. Isak Dreyer is Jens Kvernmo’s friend. Although they have been on a lot of trips together, Dreyer was not around the trail as a helper this year. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Isak stayed at home Thursday 9 March was the premiere of the new TV series “Jens and Isak på tynn is”. The series follows the adventurer Jens Kvernmo and Isak Dreyer, known as a fisherman and winner of both “Norway’s Toughest” and “Farmer Celebrity”. Even though his travel companion Isak Dreyer is used to being out on a trip with Kvernmo, he did not join around the track as a shopper – that is, the helper during the race. – I tried to have him shop at Femundløpet last year, so I went for something different this year, Kvernmo said before the start on Saturday. Dreyer himself believed that it would have been more fun to drive himself. – It must be much better to drive yourself, than to be a dealer – it’s a bit boring. It would have been cool to drive myself once. He had great faith that Jens Kvernmo will do well in the competition, despite the fact that it is his first time participating. – I think this is just going well. He has good dogs and a good handler, Dreyer said before Kvernmo started this year’s race.
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