Introduction
Finnmarkslopet is a non-stop race of sled dogs that takes place during winter. Finnmarkslpet is a sled dog race organized by alta Trekkhundklubb first time in 1981.The race is usually 1000km and the racers should not stop at any point. This is a very interesting game and race. Alta Mashing Association hosts it. It was started in the year 1981 and since then the race has grown to be very big with people volunteering to participate in the game. More people are willing to participate in the game because it only takes place ones in a year and it is interesting to be a participant or even an audience.
The Race
The race; Finnmarkslopet has two classes FL-500 whose race is 500km and has a maximum of eight dogs while the second class FL-1000 goes up to 1000km. The FL-1000 can have a maximum of fourteen dogs. The dogs are the ones that actually race, they pull the racer all the way from the start line to the finish line. The racer controls the dogs and ensures that they run first in order for them to be the winners. Both groups start the race at the same time. They start their race from Finnmark County and finish at the same point they started at. The FL-1000 goes all the way to Kirkenes and back to Finnmark while the FL-500 reaches the plateaus and back (Arctander, 2012). The FL-500 goes only half the race and that is why they are given few dogs to race with. The more the dogs, the higher the speed they will run and that is why FL-1000 has more dogs than FL-500.
For those who want to participate in the FL-1000 sled dog race, they must have participated in the FL-500 before and managed to at least race for 400km. The entry fees increase every year because of the demand of those who are willing to participate in the race. People travel all over the world to witness the race that takes place every Saturday of the tenth week of the year. It is a tourist attraction site for Norway (Arctander, 2012).
During arctic winter, the weather is very cold and there is always snow and it is also very windy. The temperature can go below 40 degrees Celsius. This condition is harsh to both the dogs and the racer. Therefore, they have to undergo numerous exercises before the race. The racers train for some weeks or even a month before the race. They stay in areas where the weather is extreme so that they can be fully prepared during the race. They have to race the dogs during the preparations, timing them in order to ensure that they meet the required time period and that they are the fastest. They have to be fast because despite the weather condition, they have to be fast if they are to be the first ones to finish the race (Arctander, 2012). The dogs must also be subjected to medical care in order to enable them to persevere in the cold weather, which could kill them.
In conclusion, the mashers have to be fully prepared just as athletes do. They prepare for the Olympics in order for them to be the winners. The mushers do the same for their dogs.References