Bjørnar and his six dogs ahead in Skoganvarre

Bjørnar Andersen is still leading the Finnmarkslopet. He arrive at Skoganvarre at 5:16 this morning. According to Snorre Næss, who has been out on the track with a snow mobil, had Bjørnar lost the trail and by that round about 15 minutes. -It could be that he had fallen asleep on the sled, because the trail was very well marked when he lost it and seemed to be impossible to go a wrong way. Ralph Johannessen is around 1 and a half hours behind Andersen and thereby has better speed in his team, said Snorre Næss.

Bjørnar explained to our outside reporter Niels Westphal that he pedalled a lot and worked very hart on his sled so that his muscles are all sore.

Andersen was going into the checkpoint at Skoganvarre with all his dogs ahead of his sled, not needing to give one of them a ride. The tension is attached to this, because Andersen has to take all of the dogs he has left along with him all the way across the finish line. This will of course be continuously an area of worry for Bjørnar since the rules state that his team has to consist out of at least 6 dogs.

- The only difference I can see in the team to earlier on, at least from where I stand, is that Svarten is not interested in mating anymore. Bjørnar himself looks tired, but of course he ran around to find water and prepare the resting spots for his dogs, said Westphal.

All participants have to take their 8 hour mandatory rest now before they go back onto the track to Alta, concluded an exhausted Westphal, out of a checkpoint where the temperature is just below 0 degrees.