Skrevet av: Dag B. Urdal / translator Lisa Karlsen
Dato: 12.03.2009 19:15
Precisely at 07.10 p.m. a tired but extremely happy Inger-Marie Haaland crossed the finishing line in this year's 1000 km. race. - This is one of the most challenging things I have ever done, said the happy winner to an enthusiastic crowd, when she could finally step off the sled in Alta ceentre. She has been out for 5 days, 6 hours and 50 minutes, which is a record in this race, after the track was changed in 2003. This is a great achievement of a rookie, and it is something that will be talked about for a long time.
After five long days on the sled - day and night - Inger-Marie crossed the finishing line as Norwegian Champion - to the sound of "Conquest of Paradise", and that might have been what she felt right there and then, happy as she was to have finally crossed the finishing line.
Inger-Marie had nine dogs in her dog-team when she finished. They were surprisingly energetic after all the days in front of the sled. Inger-Marie has participated in the long Femund race three times with good placings, before she now started Finnmarksløpet for the first time. After this debut it is probably not the last time we will see her in Finnmarksløpet.
