Norway’s Super Hero: What it takes…
The first Norwegian to win the Iditarod, the world’s most competitive long-distance sled dog race, is legendary Robert Sørlie. It was a feat not seen before and not since, in the race. About the victory Sørlie says:
“It was special. To win the Iditarod is the biggest thing for a musher. That’s what we work for. Nothing compares to it. Especially when you come from the small country of Norway and you win the race”
Today Sørlie holds a bit of a super-hero status in Norway, that it is likely impossible for anyone to match, truly. Yes, two years ago, finally another Norwegian – Joar Leifseth Ulsom – was able to again take Norway to the top of the podium with his Iditarod victory in the 2018 race. But, unlike Sørlie, Ulsom did not travel to Alaska, Ulsom calls Alaska “home,” going on ten years.
To win the Iditarod takes everything going just right. The race really does not start at the start-line in on Willow Lake in Alaska. And while the race is won in the now 8-9 days it takes the amazing Alaskan Husky teams to run literally across the state of Alaska—the race has been going on for months on end leading up into the start…
To have a shot of getting to Nome as the first team crossing under the burled arch to claim the Iditarod Championship, as a musher your mindset need to be set in steal and in pursuit come summertime the year before, and every day leading up to that first Saturday in March the following year when the race starts
King of Femundløpet, Robert Sørlie
Credit: Anki Ødegaard
Stay focused; don’t warble, at all times put your dogs and their care and training, first.
It would maybe be easy enough if the weather was always perfect for training exactly as you would wish it to be, and, well, if dogs were machines. But (luckily) they are not. In today’s ultra competitive environment, with phenomenally superior Alaskan Huskies roaming around the world—you need to attend to each dog, train each dog, with no less attention than what is given to the individual football player in a top NFL team or top European League team. Massages, supplements, chiropractic adjustments, personalized training schedule and on it goes—it’s all part of catering for a top athlete in a top team.
For racers living in Alaska, in North America, the logistical aspect of getting ready for and racing the 1000 miles (some 1600 km) across Alaska is a huge undertaking. Now, add to that, coming to Alaska to race from a different continent. Robert Sørlie won his first Iditarod Championship in 2003, repeating his incredible performance in 2005 for a second victory. He had raced Iditarod only once before. His first start was the year prior in 2002, where he incredibly for a rookie musher of the race, placed top-ten with a 9th place. That year there was very little snow and the trail was extremely fast—in fact, the 2002 winner: Martin Buser and his dogs set a new race record that stood for almost 10 years. 2003 was very different. And Sørlie ran the race very different than anyone had ever done before. Instead of going in a fast pace across Alaska, Sørlie did “monster long runs’ at a lower average speed, but with less time stopping, quickly putting him at the front…and, well, never looking back. The mushing world was flabbergasted, the Norwegian won—and how he won!
It was more than the numbers, the less rest and the longer miles. This was clearly a dog man, in tune with his dogs. And it was clearly a team of really good dogs he had on his hands—many of the dogs in 2003 returning to take that second win in 2005.
Observations supported by Sørlie’s rap sheet back in Norway. Sørlie has three Finnmarksløpet Championships to his name and has incredibly won Norway’s prestigious Femundløpet 12 times (!). As a matter of fact one of his nicknames is “King of Femundløpet.” Sørlie has run the race 30 times, every Femundløpet race that has been held since 1991. His 12th victory in the race being in 2018, Sørlie still personifies Norway’s absolute mushing elite as he has passed the 60-year-old mark.
The most important thing in having a winning team according to Sørlie? With more than 50 years of experience running sled dogs he says it is to work hard at it… to have positive thoughts and good energy; it will spread like rings in your team and the dogs will do the best they can.
“Trying to motivate them to do a job for you. To keep them enjoying it the most, that is what dog mushing is about...”
King of Femundløpet, Robert Sørlie
Credit: Anki Ødegaard
