Crossing the finishing line together

The three last mushers in limited class, crossed the finish line in Alta as a team at 5.47 pm Wednesday. Torsten Kohnert of Sweden, Bjørn Utstøl of Norway and Miquel-Angel Martinez of Catalonia, Spain, have stuck together during large parts of the race. They have raced together all the way from Levajok together with a fourth guy, Gerhard Hirz from Austria.

Three happy mushers crossing the finish line call for a celebration. The people who had come to meet them at Alta Strand Camping could see three smiling guys shaking hands and thanking each other for a great companionship that had developed during the long journey from Levajok to Alta.

From left; Martinez, Hinz, Utstøl and Kohnert

But where is Gerhard? they finally asked each other. They had started out together at the last checkpoint Joatka, but Gerhard’s team had been faster and they had expected to meet him at the finish line. After a short moment of confusion, the race marshal required a snowmobile to go look for Hirz. The snowmobile returned shortly after, having spotted the Austrian down on the river. At 6.05 p.m. Gerhard crossed the finishing line, exclaiming "I waited half an hour for you down at the river!" He had followed the trail through the forest down the Detsikalia hill, while the other three followed the road. At this stretch the mushers are free to choose which trail to follow. The three other mushers were hence first down to the river and continued to Alta and the finish line. Hirz stopped when he reached the bottom of the hill and waited half an hour for the others. He snacked the dogs, observed that the dogs wanted to sleep and decided to continue on to avoid a complete stop of his team. At this point there were only ten kilometres left before the finish line. No wonder he was surprised seeing his three companions there!

During the last few days they have experienced all kinds of weather, ranging from high temperatures and rain, blizzards, and sunshine. The challenges have been plenty and they thank each other for making it through to the finish line.

Great companionship

The handler teams of the four mushers have also developed a strong companionship and friendship during the race. The wife of Bjørn Utstøl, Nina, is very proud of him and emphasizes that it has been a fantastic experience following the race as a handler. The handler teams have had plenty of time to get to know each other at the checkpoints. Martinez’ handler and wife, Helena Maz, is also very pleased with the achievements of her husband. She was especially pleased to see the dogs happy and healthy. At home in Catalonia, she has the prime responsibility for the daily care of the dogs, and it has been hard for her not to be allowed to help caring for the dogs during the race. The other handlers have been a great support, being there to chat with and exchange experiences on dog mushing.

The three mushers together with their handlers