Finnmarksløpet is a long distance sled dog race organized every year since 1981 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 Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Finnmarksløpet is the longest sled race in Europe.

History

The first Finnmarksløpet was hosted in 1981 with only one "open" class and a total of three teams entering the first race. Over the years, the race has experienced substantial growth, both in terms of participants and audience. In 1985, a second "limited" class was introduced. By 1992, the race distance was extended to , with the open class setting a maximum of 12 dogs, while the limited class was restricted to 8-dog and a distance of . In 2000, the open class was expanded further to include up to 14 dogs, and the limited class distance was reduced to . In 2018, the open class was further extended to its current length at , making Finnmarksløpet the longest sled dog race in Europe and the second longest sled race in the world. A junior class open to mushers 14 to 18 years of age has also been added, with a distance of . The 2021 race was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In 2025, the open class was shortened to due to warm weather and parts of the course not sufficiently freezing.

Race

All classes begin in

Alta Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of US mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Association, ...

before crossing Norway's largest plateau,

Finnmarksvidda Finnmarksvidda (; ) is Norway's largest plateau, with an area greater than . The plateau lies about above sea level. Approximately 36% of Finnmark lies on the Finnmarksvidda. Geography From Alta Municipality in the west to the Varanger Peni ...

. The open class proceeds to

Kirkenes (Norwegian language, Norwegian; ), (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; , or is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsu ...

and then turning back to Alta. The limited class heads to first

Kautokeino Kautokeino () may refer to: Places *Kautokeino Municipality (also known as: ), a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway *Kautokeino (village) , , or is the administrative centre of Kautokeino Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The vill ...

and then Levajok, a hamlet near Tana before heading back to Alta. Participants in Finnmarksløpet come from all over Europe. To participate in the open class, participants must have previously completed the Finnmarksløpet in limited class, Femundløpet, Bergebyløpet N70, Gold Rush Run 501 or another race at least in length in the past five years. Roger Dahl is the oldest participant, completing the Finnmarksløpet for the 28th time in 2025 at the age of 73. Harsh weather conditions are common on Finnmarksvidda which has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

with the coldest winter temperatures in Norway.

Open Class

Daily stages, totaling 1243 km * Stage 1 :

–

, 168 km * Stage 2 : Kautokeino – Jergul, 101 km * Stage 3 : Jergul – Levajok, 122 km * Stage 4 : Levajok – Tana, 100 km * Stage 5 : Tana – Neiden, 100 km * Stage 6 : Neiden – Övre Pasvik, 78 km * Stage 7 : Övre Pasvik –

, 86 km * Stage 8 : Kirkenes - Neiden, 71 km * Stage 9 : Neiden –

Varangerbotn or is the administrative centre of Nesseby Municipality, Finnmark county, Norway. It is located at the innermost part of the large Varangerfjorden. The village is located at the intersection of the European route E6 and European route E75 high ...

, 82 km * Stage 10 : Varangerbotn – Levajok, 70 km * Stage 11: Levajok –

Karasjok Karasjok is a Norwegianized version of the Northern Sami name Kárášjohka. Either one may refer to the following places: * Karasjok Municipality or (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami; ) (also: ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, ...

, 83 km * Stage 12: Karasjok – Jotka, 82 km * Stage 13: Jotka – Alta, 49 km

Winners

Limited Class

Daily stages, totalling 609 km * Stage 1:

–

, 168 km * Stage 2: Kautokeino – Jergul, 100 km * Stage 3: Jergul – Levajok, 127 km * Stage 4: Levajok –

, 83 km * Stage 5: Karasjok – Jotka, 82 km * Stage 6: Jotka – Alta 49 km

Winners

Junior Class

Daily stages, totalling 198 km * Stage 1:

– Jotka, 49 km * Stage 2: Jotka – Suossjavre, 47 km * Stage 3: Suossjavre – Jotka, 53 km * Stage 4: Jotka –

49 km

Winners

References

External links

Finnmarksløpet

Finnmarksløpet 2024

Simple English Wikipedia The Simple English Wikipedia is a modified English language, English-language edition of Wikipedia written primarily in Basic English and Learning English (version of English), Learning English. It is one of seven List of Wikipedias, Wikipedias ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnmarkslopet 1981 establishments in Norway Sled dog races Recurring sporting events established in 1981

History

Race

Open Class

Winners

Limited Class

Winners

Junior Class

Winners

See also

References

External links