News of Norway, March 10, 2003
The 1,150 mile long race from Anchorage to Nome has attracted mushers from over a dozen countries. The race is a tribute to the mushing heritage of Alaska, where dog sleds were widely used for freight and communication up until the 1960s. The idea of a dog race was conceived in 1967, and in 1973 the first mushers made their way to Nome.
A non-American has never been first over the finishing line. Until Robert Sørlie. Not only is he the first foreigner to win, but he also completed the race faster than anyone before him.
"This is so big that I can't even find the words," Sørlie told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet after winning the race.
He admits that the race has been tough.
"The most difficult thing has been not being able to rest properly. This is a challenge, not only for me but also for the dogs. If you want to finish among the best you cannot sleep much. For the first four days I slept no more than two hours, and I didn't get much sleep afterwords, either."
Sørlie will now take home a prize of $70,000 as well as a brand new pickup truck. As the first person to cross the half-way point at Eagle Island, the Norwegian received around $3,000.
When Robert Sørlie doesn't ride dog sleds, he works as a fire fighter at Oslo airport Gardermoen. He has been mushing for 23 years, and has 24 huskies trained especially for the Iditarod race.