A happy Wærner waved to the crowds when he arrived in Alta in solitary majesty after 1,200 kilometers on the Finnmarksvidda, covered in just under a week. He was several hours ahead of his nearest competitor.
Wærner, who is considered one of the best dog handlers in the world, had nine of the team’s first 14 dogs when he crossed the finish line in Alta at 7:46 a.m. Friday.
Early management
This is the third time that Wærner has won the Finnmark race. He is also the first to win Femundløpet and Finnmarksløpet twice in the same year.
– It’s very special, Wærner told NRK after the finish line.
Wærner took the lead for the first time already after a day and a half of driving on Saturday and has largely controlled the lead ever since.
The conditions at this year’s race were difficult, especially because it was very hot.
– It was a difficult race because of the hard tracks, but at the same time it was absolutely fantastic,
Everything for dogs
It was a nice final step for the 49-year-old as no one was close to following him from the last checkpoint.
He explains his success in recent years as follows:
– I’m very focused on the dogs, and I think I’m not so afraid of losing. I do what I think is best for dogs all the time, he says.
Wærner also won the Iditarod – the world’s longest dog race – in 2020.
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