Finnmarksløpet: Travelling with dogs is true freedom
As the world’s northernmost sled dog race is in full swing in the north of Norway, we spoke to one of its participants.
The sled dog race Finnmarksløpet route runs 1,100 km from the town of Alta up to Kirkenes and then back.
It took about 4 days for musher Daniel Juillaguet and his 10 Alaskan Huskies to cover a distance of about 500 km. They stopped in Kirkenes for a 6-hour rest before starting the journey back to Alta.
BO: Why do you take part in sled racing?
Daniel Juillaguet: Because I like dogs and I like travelling with dogs. You experience things that you can’t find anywhere else. For example, yesterday on the way to Kirkenes it was sunny, you could see the mountain, we were alone and it was real freedom.
It’s -10°C outside and the sun is shining. How are the weather conditions for the dogs?
This year is better than the last one. Last year it was just ice and water in many places in Finnmark county. The temperatures of about -15°C or -20°C would have been the perfect for the dogs to race.
It’s getting even warmer along the day today.
Yeah, it’s hard to have a big race for many kilometers if it’s too warm. It means you have to take it easy with the race and make more stops for a break as it’s too hot for the dogs. But such weather contrasts have been for many years – some years it’s warmer, next year colder.
Some activists express concern that dogs are being forced to race and suffer. What would you answer to that?
The whole idea is to give the dogs the joy. If they are afraid and when they don’t like it – it is impossible to force them to race. It’s their instinct. They are doing the sled racing by themselves. If they didn’t want it, you would never be able to continue.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Meet Kipper, the newest — and only — avalanche dog in Canada’s North, CBC News
Norway: Norway ambassador visits Alaska to talk climate, Russia and, yes, Norwegian dog mushing success, Alaska Public Media
United States: The 2025 Iditarod starts on Saturday. Here’s what to know, Alaska Public Media
