The Bergebyløpet N70 is an annual long-distance sled dog race held in the former municipality of

Nord-Varanger Nord-Varanger is a former municipality in Finnmark county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1894 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vadsø Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was in the town o ...

, in

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

, Norway since 2003. The Bergebyløpet N70 is considered the world's northernmost long-distance sled dog race, based on the race's latitude. The race is also the only mainland sled dog race in the world that never goes south of the

70th parallel north Following are circles of latitude between the 65th parallel north and the 70th parallel north. This includes the Arctic Circle, at 66°33′49.6″ north. 66th parallel north The 66th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 66 degrees n ...

History

The Bergebyløpet N70 was established in 2003. Initially, the race covered between the villages of Bergeby in

Nesseby Municipality or (also unofficially ''Uuniemi'' in Kven language, Kven and Finnish language, Finnish) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the vi ...

and Seidafjellet in

Tana Municipality or is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tana bru. Among the other villages in the municipality are Austertana, Bonakas, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, and Skiippagurra. The m ...

. The name Bergebyløpet translates to "The Bergeby Race." In 2015, the route was extended to , running from Masjok in the west to

Krampenes , , or is a village in Vadsø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Varangerfjorden on the eastern shore of the Varanger Peninsula. It lies along the European route E75 highway, about northeast of Va ...

in the east, making the race Norway’s second-longest after the

Finnmarksløpet Finnmarksløpet is a long distance sled dog race organized every year since 1981 in Finnmark, Norway. Finnmarksløpet is the longest sled race in Europe. History The first Finnmarksløpet was hosted in 1981 with only one "open" class and a tota ...

. The race has since been shortened, with the longest class racing .

Race

The Bergebyløpet N70 starts in

Rustefjelbma , , or is a village in Deatnu-Tana Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Tana River, about south of the mouth of the river at the Tanafjorden. The village of Bonakas lies just north of Rustefjelbma. The muni ...

and races east to

Vadsø Vadsø or Vadso may refer to: Places * Vadsø Municipality, a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway *Vadsø (town) (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, tow ...

, passing through the municipalities of Tana and Nesseby. The race distance has varied in distance and number of classes from year to year with the longest distance being . The course is set entirely north of the

, and according to the organizers, is the only long-distance sled dog race to do so. Currently the Bergebyløpet N70 is composed of four classes: an open class with up to 16 dogs racing a course, an 8 dog team racing a course, an 8 dog team racing a course and a 6 dog junior team that also races . Teams who complete the Bergebyløpet N70 qualify to participate in the

. The race differs from other Norwegian races due to the unmanned wilderness checkpoints in the course, where mushers receive no external assistance. Everything required for rest stops—including food for both the musher and the dogs, as well as supplies for dog care—must be packed on the sled from the start. Mushers sleep alongside their dogs at these wilderness checkpoints. Participants contend with extreme Arctic conditions, including temperatures as low as , snowstorms, and the potential for encounters with wildlife such as moose. The terrain features technical trails over mountains and rivers, demanding high levels of skill and endurance from participants. File:NO 2029 Nord-Varanger.svg, Nord-Varanger within Finnmark File:Bilde 16.jpg, A musher in 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergebyløpet N70 2003 establishments in Norway Sled dog races Recurring sporting events established in 2003 Finnmark County Municipality