-It's never far to Alta

FL 1000: - Mine nærmeste konkurrenter må kjøre dobbelt så fort som meg om de skal vinne. Og for meg er det ikke langt til Alta. Det er bare 15 km til Ássebakti og det samme til Ravnastua, derfra et par mil til Mollešjohka og tre mil til Jotka. Det er jo ikke langt. 14 mil langs Tanadalen er mye lenger, sier Roger Dahl til en liten sverm av mediafolk ved spannet i Karasjok.

The average speed will be 9-10km/h. If Sigrid Ekran is to catch up with him she would have to make 20 km/h. –That is not possible. Unless something happens to me, she will not make it, says Dahl. Still it won’t be a parade over the mountains. I’m not resting as long as someone comes from behind. If I did, I would have lost all ready, says Dahl. For Roger Dahl it may be a problem to pas home since it is on his way to Alta and only seven kilometres from the finish. Hopefully the dogs will not be homesick. –I won’t think about that I will be first to finish, I only do what I have to do in order to be first. Nothing is won in advance; I’m driving with a good mood and positive thoughts. The dogs are in charge, says Roger Dahl.

Twice this race it has been tough for him. First when he lost the dogs. When that happened he thought for a moment that he had lost his chances in this race. But with good help and a good deal of luck, it went well. The other time was when one of his dogs died. He was so sad for a while that he could not concentrate on the race. Now the old musher is prepared for a finish out of the ordinary. –Then all the feelings may find a chance to get out. It will be a release of all that has been sacrificed and all the work that has been put into it, says musher number 91 in Finnmarksløpet 2011, Roger Dahl.