To do the right thing

Nearly forty percent of the drivers in the 500km race have given up this year. Deep powder snow and mild weather takes some of the blame, but also sickness and misfortune have crushed the Finnmarksløpet dream for many drivers.

Musher Ole Wingren hammers snow off his carabines and sledge after a bath in the Tana River. His dogs have ice in their fur and paws, and the considerate owner works quickly with the rugs and straw in the paddock in Karasjok. With stiff fingers he covers the shivering dogs. "I look forward to changing clothes" he says. Wingren doesn't know how long he needs to rest after the ice bath, but he has decided not to drive tactically. We met Wingren again in Jergul. A pleased driver is on his way over the checkpoint, and shakes his head over his messed up sledge "I should have had my wife here" he says, "there wouldn't have been this much mess here". His wife would have maybe also made sure he had some proper clothes on. The wool clothes Wingren had on are icy and wet, and his shoes are unuseable after they went in the river. Wingren didn't start from Jergul, but decided to quit the race.

"Now I'm going to use ibux" said an influensa sick Marianne Daleb when she came in to the check-point in Skoganvarre. The fever sent the body temperature to the Tana-girl up and down, but she now plans to let the sickness ruin the race. "It is terribly annoying to be sick right now. I felt it coming on Friday, but I think I am recovering now" she said at Skoganvarre. At Levajok she had nevertheless given in to fever and stomach-problems, and the race was over for her. "It was really sad to quit but it was the right thing to do, it would have been unfair for the dogs to continue when I can't help them" says Dahlen on the telephone from Tana. Now she has slept and eaten and is healthy again. Dahlen says she's still hooked on Finnmarksløpet and she wants to do it again. She isn't the only one that has given up and wants to try again. Finnmarksløpet has already recieved several requests about registering for next year.