Skrevet av: Niels Westphal/Anne-Mette Bjøru
Dato: 05.03.2005 18:00
Maurizio Menghinella from Italy experienced every mushers nightmare when he during training in Alta Sunday morning went through the ice on tha Alta river. Luckily Maurizio was training with his colleague Henry Coronica who managed to save him from the cold water before the current.
Maurizio Menghinella is participating in Finnmarksløpet for the first time this year and has already been in Alta for a week to prepare for the debut. His experience Sunday night has startled the Italian and his team, but he is ready to start in the 500 km race across the Finnmarksvidda tomorrow.
The leader of the trail committee, Marit Honerød Hoveid, says that the incident has strtled her and the rest of the trail committee as well.
- First and foremost I am happy that it ended well. We have discussed how to greet and arrange everything the best possible way for the mushers who arrive from abroad to race in Finmarksløpet. This dramatic event has created further focus on the matter, she says.
She promises to submit the competiors with more and better information about what to expect in Alta. The trail committee leader also says that Finnmarksløpet has to take into consideration that many competitors will arrive Alta long before the race starts, and long before the trails are ready and marked. This shows the necessity of neat planning.
- Finnmarksløpet has to better our communication with the mushers from far away who are not used to Finnmark. The wilderness in Finnmark has few marked trails, rivers etc. compared to the rest of Europe, something that we are not always aware of. Besides, we have to arrange everything better for the cmpetors who arrive early to train before the race. This also stresses the importance of good information, she says.
Marit promises that this will be an important aspect of the evaluation after this years' race, so that such dramatic events are avoided in the future.