WELCOME TO FINNMARKSLØPET 2003

We would like to wish participants, supporters, and the press welcome to Europe´s longest dog slade race, which now starts for the 23rd time.

This year, the dog slade race will be transformed to be an authentic Finnmarksløp. It begins in Alta, passes through Finnmark state, over to the Russian frontier and Kirkenes, and back to Alta again! A real long distance race of 1040 km.

The race starts saturday 8th of march. In just a week, the participants will be running kilometers in snow and frosty weather, with no contact to others than their fourelegged friends. Some will be running a distance equal as Oslo-Mosjøen and other will be running over a distance equal as Oslo-Bergen.

The race this year is divided into two categories:

• Open class where each team consists of 14 dogs running the 1000km
• Limited class where each team consists of 8 dogs running the 500km

This years race has a World Cup-status in open class and NM-status in limited class. The limited class is though also open to foreign competitors.

At this moment, 14 team have announced their participation in open class, and 25 team have announced their participation in limited class. Experience tells us, though, that most likely more participants will sign up at the last minute.

Finnmarksløpet this year has participants from 6 countries. With Norway, we have represents from Germany, Spain, France, Austria and Sweden. This portfolio contains a list of participants who have presently signed up. Updated list can be found on our web site: www.finnmarkslopet.no <http://www.finnmarkslopet.no/> under ³entrants². On the same web site you can find information about previous results, rules, summary of the race and photographs from previous race.

There are about 100 volunteers working on and around Finmmarksløpet. The race has its own veterinarians who check the dogs conditions as the race goes on. Every participant must show some kind of a certificate of the dogs vaccination, and an ID-card for each dog. Veterinarians have to check the dogs before they start the race, and judges will control that regulations are not been broken in the race.

Finnmarksløpet this year has its own pressbus. We offer the pressbus to those who would like to follow Finnmarksløpet 2003 from the beginning to the end, or just partly. The bus will follow the whole race through and, as such, its function will be as an information center for the press and media. Accomodation on board the bus is tailor made for the press. Special working space is available for those who need that, for those who need to rest can find sleeping place, the bus has wc, refrigerator, etc. We hope that the pressbuss can function as some kind of a base, should one wish to follow the race in whole or just a part of it.

The bus will be crewed with a press team from Finnmarksløpet, who will offer any kind of help needed. The bus will carry two scooters, which photographers can use to take pictures, or for those who would like to follow the race at a close hand.

More detailed information about the bus will be given later on.

We hope to see you at this years Finnmarksløpet!

For further information call: 95 27 30 58 or send an e-mail to: elisabeth@finnmarkslopet.no