– So to be completely honest, this season has gone much better than I thought, says Thomas Wærner in his kennel at home in Torpa.
Usually around 50 dogs stay here. Now there are mostly “pensioners” and young dogs, while some of the dogs have traveled up to Alta to take part in the Finnmark race.
They have left without the owner.
And Wærner may not be back next year either, but it’s not because of the conflict last year.
At Femundløpet, Thomas Wærner had a completely new team. He says he was surprised that they managed to maintain a high level until the end. – So it looks good for next year.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
Animal sport
Wærner has won the Finnmark race three times and has been fighting at the top in recent years.
He will not take part in the Finnmarksløpet this year. And there are several reasons for that: The leg, young dogs, finances and work.
– Dog racing isn’t exactly where you get money, it’s where you spend all your money.
There is a lot of cuddles to be had from crazy young dogs in the kennel. – You have to spend a lot of time with the dogs to learn what they need, says Thomas Wærner.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
In addition, he wants to get to the Iditarod again, and that costs up to half a million kroner.
Wærner says that the knee, which he has operated on, was also painful during the Finnmark race last year.
The idea of little sleep and being positive for the dogs, he thinks, would be difficult.
Thomas Wærner before this year’s Femund run. It was then down to minus 30 degrees.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
– Running another race now with a leg that doesn’t work, it was kind of uninteresting.
This year, Wærner took part in the Femundløpet. He drove into third place.
– In December, I didn’t think I could get on the sled even once. And that I can then drive into such a good position at Femund was actually a little surprising.
Thomas Wærner together with one of the young dogs.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
Reported: – Done with the case
There was a lot that happened during the Finnmark race last year.
Among other things, Thomas Wærner was banned from visiting and reported for making threats on the course against competitor Kristoffer Halvorsen, which he describes as ridiculous.
The case was dismissed.
– I hope we are over it, and that we can now get together and have fun with dog sledding, says Wærner regarding the review and adds:
– We are a small environment and we talk together. I think in a way that the whole dog racing community is done with the matter, and we just want to have fun at the races and work with the dog team.
The dog farm of Thomas Wærner in Torpa.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
Kristoffer Halvorsen was behind the review. He is one of Birgitte Næss’ handlers, who signed up on Wednesday last week.
– It is something that we have put completely behind us and have no focus on at all, which we are completely done with. We have decided that dog sledding should be fun, so that is probably our focus, she also says.
Signed up at the last minute
A week and a half before the start in Alta, Birgitte Næss signed up for this year’s Finnmark race.
She says they have had a long autumn. Kristoffer Halvorsen has had knee surgery and was on crutches for four months, they have moved and had water in the basement.
– So there has been a lot to adapt to.
The Femund race was the goal, but the brake on the sled broke early and they had to break the race.
Birgitte Næss says they had to cancel the Femund race and therefore did not want to end the season. Here before this year’s pentathlon.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
– It was a bit sad that it was going to be the end of the season, so then we found out that we are going to Finnmark, and I signed up on Wednesday last week.
– The dogs are well trained and they have recovered well after the Femund race, she says.
Many young dogs
In Thomas Wærner’s kennel, several of the best dogs have become pensioners.
He mentions, among other things, K2, which has been a good leader in several races.
Thomas Wærner together with one of the pensioners, K2.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
– Now I have to build a new team, and I am well on my way to that, but they are young. They are two and a half years old, and then it is a bit early for them to start driving at top level.
Wærner does not want to travel to Finnmark with a team he cannot compete with.
13 of the dogs will still run in this year’s Finnmark race together with Jens Kvernmo in the 1200 and Jack Grøtterud in the 600.
K2 with the young dogs before a training trip this week.
Photo: Viktoria Hellem-Hansen / NRK
– I am involved and contribute in a way, but the team is simply not ready.