Robert Sørlie won the worlds longest dog race, the Iditarod. This is his second win, he also won the race in 2003. Robert Sørlie's nephew, Bjørnar Andersen, only 27 years old, took a sensational 4th place.
2/28/2007 :: It was a happy, but tired Robert Sørlie, who finished the race. It feels good. Now I'm ready for breakfast, said Sørli just after he arrived in Nome in Alaska.
From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days. The Iditarod has been named "the last great race on earth". Through beautiful nature, freezing temperatures and long hours of darkness one can see the special relationship between Man and his Best Friend. The race route is alternated every other year, one year going north through Cripple, Ruby and Galena, the next year south through Iditarod, Shageluk, Anvik.
"Team Norway" consists of Robert Sørlie, Kjetil Backen and Bjørnar Andersen. Robert is 47 years old and works full time as a fire fighter in Oslo Airport Gardermoen. He had 24 dogs in training for this race, all Alaskan Huskies. When he finished the race, he had 8 dogs left. Bjørnar is Roberts nephew, 27 years old and the winner of Finnmarksløpet in Norway last year.
Royal Norwegian Embassy / Synne Laastad Dyvik