Cree, the hero

At 05:37 Monday 20 March, Hendrik Stachnau wrote history. He had completed the FL-1000 race with a dog team consisting of 13 Greenland dogs and one Alaskan Malamute. No one has ever done this before with only Greenland dogs and Malamutes.

- Doing this has been my goal for many hears, says a happy German musher, who has made several attempts earlier without succeeding. The time limit for leaving checkpoint Karasjok was postponed with six hours due to the weather conditions earlier in the race. This enabled both Stachnau and Christer Afséer to leave the checkpoint within the limits and head for Alta. Afséer is expected to arrive in Alta late Monday.

- I am proud to have proven that it is possible, that you can do anything if you don't give in and if you keep the faith, Hendrik says. He attributes much of the glory to Cree, his lead dog. - He is nine years old and has a fabulous head. He lead us through all possible conditions. Snow, wind, hard trails, no trails, mild weather and the cold. He is the only Malamute on the team, and he is the first Malamute to complete the FL-1000. 

PROUD: A proud and happy Hendrik Stachnau immediately after his historic finish of the FL-1000. Photo: Trond A. Andersen

Hendrik rested for a few hours at Jotka and got a decent speed with his team when heading towards the finish line. 9.2 km/h is nearly twice as fast as some of his average speed in the earlier legs of the race.

Handlers, race management and the speaker received the heroes with the Vangelis hymn at Alta Strand Camping. With his completing the race, exactly haf the participants of FL-1000 have made it to the finish line. One team remains - start #29, Christer Afséer. He will most likely arrive in Alta Monday afternoon or evening. You can follow him on our GPS tracking.

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