Skrevet av: Rikke Masternes/ Ragnhildur Asvaldsdottir
Dato: 11.03.2017 19:01
Neither of them has participated in the Finnmark Race before but both are looking forward to this year’s race. But that is where the similarities between Mathias Bergmo and Egil Lønneend end.
- Is that so, says Egil Lønne (64) and laughs when he hears that he is the oldest participant in the Finnmark Race 2017.
Youngest and oldest in the Finnmark Race 2017; Mathis Bergmo (left) and Egil Lønne (right). (Photo: Rikke Masternes)
Mathias Bergmo (14) on the other hand seems unaffected by the fact that he is this year’s youngest participant. He is all the more excited to find out what lays ahead in the next couple of days in FL-Junior.
Hoping for a good experience
- This is my first race, so the main goal is to make it to the finish line, says Mathias Bergmo (14), a rookie in the Finnmark Race although he has already finished two other races earlier this season.
- Last year I had to scratch from the race because my dogs fell ill. My hope is that the dogs stay healthy all the way through this year, says Egil Lønne (64). Otherwise, his goal is the same as Bergmo’s: to enjoy the race through the landscapes of Finmmark.
Bergmo and Lønne share the goal of making it to the finish line. Otherwise, the background and experience differs greatly between the youngest and the oldest participant.
Bergmo made history as the youngest participant who has ever participated in the race, when he started out from Alta on Saturday.
The article continues under the ad.
Food can be a problem
Egil Lønne started racing dogs in 1986. Last year was his first Finnmark Race, but he had to scratch due to sickness in his dog-team. This year he has a new chance, and hopes for a great experience through the FL-500.
- I tend to forget to eat, he says when asked about the main obstacles for him in this year’s race
Mathis Bergmo laughs at this comment, and nods in agreement. He too finds it difficult to remember to make time for his own nourishment.
Mathias Bergmo at 14 years makes history as the youngest ever participant in the Finnmark Race. (Photo: Ida-Helene Sivertsen)