kilometer race in which competitors fight their way through icy

wastelands — and are celebrated as heroes.

The Finnmark Race is kind of like my birthday, Christmas and new

year's eve all wrapped in one.

For eight days, the competitors or “mushers” and their canine teams

will be pushed to the absolute limit.

It's something you chose to do! And it's

fun. It's like a journey into yourself!

Who will prevail in this grueling endurance challenge — lasting over

a week, with sleep a rare luxury?

The dogs are starting to get tired, I am

getting a little bit tired, so this is

when the hard work starts.

Alta, in the Finnmark region of Norway, September 2019. Here,

inside the Arctic Circle, Hanna Lyrek is preparing for the longest

dog-sled race in Europe.

Hanna and a fellow-musher discuss how many dogs they have with

them — and which ones they'll have to leave behind.

Let's see. Who's coming?

I have been driving dogs since I could stand up straight and I have

been around dogs for all my life. So when I was younger, dogs were my

best friends. So I have always liked seeing the world through a dog's eyes.

Her parents' farm thrives on tourism — especially from the growing

popularity of dog-sled tours. The family have more than 80 dogs, all

of them hybrids. They've been trained in social skills and are

highly durable, with a strong cardio-vascular

system — and they love to run.

We always start going short and slow, and as they get into shape we

can always increase the distance and the speed. But these are long-

distance dogs, so they hardly run faster than 17 kilometers an hour.

Langfjördbotn, 70 kilometers west of Alta. Ben Voigt lives here with his

family and 35 Alaskan huskies.

Originally from Germany, he met his wife while studying geography

in Alta. In 2010 the couple bought this old farm.

Yes, Savea. Good girl.

What else do we need, Ronja? We have the meat and ...

Water! Should we go and fetch that too?

This is their breakfast — basically a mixture of meat and dry fodder.

Taking care of the dogs is a full-time job for Ben. His wife is a

teacher at the village school.

You could say we're living our dream. We have a great place to

live, and have so much freedom. We have two happy children, and

our own dogs. It's just ? beyond words.

Ben started dogsled-racing more than ten years ago, and has also

won a number of awards for the way he handles his animals.

They're bred for this purpose and want to run. It's genetic. You can

use the dogs, but should never abuse them. You have to know

them inside-out from training and living with them. So, you know what

their limits are — and that you should never push them beyond that.

For a musher who is not even Norwegian let alone local, those

distinctions are a very special honor.

This is Ruby — basically the queen, our most important lead dog.

They're a pretty big pack, and sometimes they have their disputes

— like in a schoolroom. And as their leader you have to master the art of

creating a positive vibe, so that they work together as a team.

Ben and Hanna still have another five months to prepare for the

Finnmark Race.

For Hanna, too, it is the ultimate challenge.

Of course you can meet bad weather, and you can get an injured

dog and you get tired and exhausted. So it's all these things

together for a week — and a lot of people, they don't even last a day.

Until the snowpack is firm enough for the sleds, the dogs train with a

quad on solid ground. Hanna has to repeatedly put on the brakes to

stop her team going too fast. Over the entire season from August

through late May, they cover almost 10 thousand kilometers.

In the evening her friends, family and staff gather for dinner.

The top subject of discussion is, as ever, how preparations for the race

are going.

Today they're joined by a high-profile guest and neighbor: musher

legend Roger Dahl, who won the event three times.

The training going OK?

Yes, I hope so ? I don't think we did enough training.

In terms of kilometers?

Yes. Last year we had 650, and now we only have around 300, and

it's already the 19th.

Then it's not enough.

Hanna's performances have also attracted sponsors. This season

she's getting funding from a dog-food manufacturer, together with

other successful mushers — making Hanna the youngest member of the

world's first professional dogsled squad. Although other than sharing

a sponsor, the mushers are not really a team — each competing

very much for their themselves.

Part of the team is the biggest mushers in the world and for me it

is an opportunity to learn from the best. So now I am part of that and I

also have a few other sponsors, and for me — I don't have a full-time

job and I am not fully educated. I have to have sponsors. If not, I

wouldn't be able to do what I love to do every single day.

Ben has to make do without financial backers. Being a non-

native makes him less attractive for Norwegian companies. And only

the very best mushers manage to secure lucrative sponsorship deals.

Mushing is becoming increasingly sportified up here. It's hugely

popular now, with a growing number of people going

professional. We're now starting to see big-money sponsors, and

sponsored teams. As a family-based kennel, it's hard for us to

keep up with them.

Mushing means investing a lot of time — and money. The dogs need

to be put through their paces for the entire season from August through

the end of May. The financial outlay for their food and equipment poses

an additional challenge for the family.

We worked out that the animals cost us 30 to 40 thousand euros a

year. But we'd love to keep them, and also do the race. So, we're

taking the plunge by asking if guests might want to go on a tour

with us.

Ben is able to recover some of the expenses by offering dogsled tours

which also provide further training for the animals. Although that

venture is compromised by having to tailor the tours to the wishes of

his guests.

Six months on, March 2020 in Alta. And the Finnmarksløpet is about to

begin — the toughest dogsled race in Europe, with one-thousand-two-

hundred icy kilometers awaiting the competitors.

But Ben has doubts as to whether his team is in top shape.

They haven't done those long distances so far this year, but have

had to work really hard. Ruby's on board and is fit. I hope

she puts in another good showing this year. Yokmok is the clown in

the team — he's been great in the prep races.

The dogs get a pre-race check-up from veterinarians. Otherwise,

they're not allowed to compete.

Ben is worried about the swelling on this one's leg.

The doctor says that if he has sound alternatives, she'd suggest

taking a different dog.

Fortunately, all the other dogs are OK — giving the green light for

Ben's team.

Can I take a photo of you next to each other?

Hanna is accompanied by her mother from one checkpoint to the

next. Trine competed in the race herself a number of times.

She has done so much work with the dogs. To be able to be top 5,

top 7 in a race like this is very, very hard. Because so many are good,

they know what they are doing. You have to have some luck, but you

have to be good yourself.

It's party time in Alta. Norway's main public TV station has daily

updates of the race.

Producer Hans Hartvigsen has

been covering the event for more than a decade.

It's getting bigger every year. It's a multi-faceted sport - and is

enthralling to watch!

The starting positions are drawn by lots — with Ben in 14th.

The field comprises 30 teams from Scandinavia — plus a couple of

contestants from Germany and Switzerland.

They're desperate to get going. I just hope we get off to a good start

— and then we're on our own.

On a journey that will take eight days and nights, Ben sets out on

the initial stage. The first check-point is 12 hours away.

Among the last starters is local girl Hanna — with Norwegian TV live at

the scene.

You already won the 500 kilometer race. And the 12-hundred?

Oh, they're two different worlds! We just want a decent finish!

What's the best part of the race?

Being out there, alone with my dogs.

Enjoy, and good luck, Hanna!

All that matters now is the finish - with no more interruptions. The

rules are simple. Once out in the wild, they're not allowed to have

any assistance. Over the next 8 days the mushers are granted one

extended break of 14 hours — with short breathers always allowed.

Stage one is 132 kilometers — and the longest.

There's little let-up for the mushers, as they literally dig deep and have

to push their sled through the snow — especially uphill.

The checkpoints are manned by more than 600 volunteers taking

care of the dogs.

Almost 12 hours in, Hanna arrives at the Levajok checkpoint. And now

every second counts. She's solely responsible for feeding the dogs.

The pack are permitted to take on nourishment —

but outside the checkpoint.

The faster Hanna manages to feed the dogs and get them wrapped up

for the night, the earlier she'll be able to get some shut-eye herself

for an hour or two. It's a routine Hanna has practiced dozens of times.

We rested two hours on the trail. It is a lot of snow, but it's fine.

It's not a problem.

Almost two hours later Ben also reaches the first checkpoint — with

some bad news. Yokmuk, one of his best dogs, sprained his

shoulder after stepping into a hole. If more than 8 of the 14-strong dog-

team fail to finish the race, it's game over. And the early loss of

Yokmuk is a bitter setback for Ben.

Unfortunately, you have all the other teams braking, which creates

divots. And then you have a dilemma. You want to help the dogs

with lots of breaks, but then get the poorer trail. It happens. Whatever.

10 minutes later, Ben sets out again from the checkpoint. He

prefers to catch a couple of hours' nap in his sleeping bag out on the

trail, away from the hustle and bustle of the helpers' camp.

Hanna takes the more luxurious option — and is able to get 2 hours'

sleep in thanks to her family's camper van being parked at each

checkpoint.

Hello, good morning.

But she has no time to chat. Nothing can stand in the way of

her, hopefully, finishing first ? as her boyfriend Matthias knows only

too well.

She is so focused. She goes in like a bubble, where you just think. You

are going through the race schedule and you're going through

the checkpoint routines.

Just thinking about what you're going to do.

Ben and Hanna now have two long stages ahead of them, totaling 223

kilometers. The route takes them along a river by the Finnish border.

Daytime temperatures are already below zero Celsius, as the dogs

plough their way through the soft snow.

It's now been 48 hours since the start in Alta. At 3:30 in the

afternoon Ben reaches the checkpoint in Levajok.

Over the past 48 hours his dogs have each burned up 24 thousand

calories. Now they have to eat as much as possible before they get

tired. Ben barely has time to sleep.

A little over three hours on the sled, you come close to falling off. But

it's OK. You're constantly focused on the dogs. It's something you

chose to do! And it's fun. It's like a journey into yourself!

And Ben is not the only one showing signs of wear from the

past 48 hours. Ruby, his lead dog, has picked up an injury.

This is how you can cool the area. Can you try to massage it?

Upwards, towards the heart?

With Algyval?

Sure. But when you remove the ice, don't spend too much time

massaging. You need to get some rest and sleep. And the dogs too.

The Finnmark Race is a monumental test for musher and

beast alike.

This is the most important dog — the brain of the team. It will be

interesting to see if it works.

While Ben gets a much-needed if brief bit of rest, Hanna gets ready to

get back on the trail. But surely racing at night is even

more demanding for the musher and her team?