and there are many tributes to. make up your mind to. make for minds. you know. every year the extreme north of norway hosts an epic 1200 kilometer race in which competitors fight their way through icy wasteland and are celebrated as here. in most places quiet like my birthday in. the one for 8 days the competitors or motions and that can. be pushed to the absolute limit of how your form is something you chose to do and it's what it's like

a journey into yourself. who will prevail in this grueling enjoins challenge lasting over a week with sleep a rare luxury dogs are starting to get a little. and i'm getting a little bit. so who only when. the hard work starts. in the fin mouth region of norway september 29th team here inside the arctic circle . preparing for the longest dog sled race in your rounding up overdrawn. discuss how many docs they have with them and which ones they'll have to leave behind do you. see.

coming. i've been driving dogs and so i couldn't stand up straight and i've been around dogs for all my life so when i was younger dogs were like my best friend so i've always. always like seen the world with a dog or through a dog's eyes. new york with the union. the parents thrives on tourism especially from the growing popularity of tourists the family has more than 80 dogs all of them hybrids they've been trained in social skills on a highly giora bill with

a strong cardiovascular system and they love to run. we always start calling for. strong men as mr get into shape we can always increase the distance and then the speed but these are long distance stones so they're never really run faster than 17 kilometers an hour. long for 70 kilometers west of outer. bend folx lifting up with his family and 30 fine for last in house skates originally from germany he met his wife while studying geography and. in 2010 the couple bought this old family. home so yes of a good girl. but. oh . what

else we need to warn you. that we have me right on. water of almost every go and fetch that too but i think. this is the breakfast and that's basically a mixture of me and dr order was important for that i'll be taking care of the dogs is a full time job for bed. his wife is a teacher at the finish school peter i'm a country. you could say we're living our dream we have a great place to live for and have so much freedom i am so happy to have the children in our own dogs it's just beyond words. which i placed and then started ducks lead racing more than 10 years ago and has also won a number of awards for the way he handles his animals the one the one that's i think of 61 all they're bred for this purpose and want to run but it's genetic that you can use the dogs but never should have the response you have to know them

inside out from training and living with the so you know what their limits are and you know you should never push them beyond that you are kind support for a measure he was not even norwegian let alone local those distinctions are a fairy special on. doesn't mean or is this ruby that basically the queen are most importantly dog is always out of the mines i got everything so i thought they were pretty big pattern and sometimes they had their disputes like in a school rush week and i saw one inside all 3 quince notice to hit. and as their leader you have to master the art of creating a positive part so we work together as a team. and then can i still have another 5 months to prepare for the film out grace. for one or 2 it is the ultimate challenge of course you can meet bad weather and you can

get an injured dog and you get tired and exhausted so is yours all these things together for. like a week and a lot of people they only last a day. until the snow pack is firm enough for the sleds the docs train with the court on solid ground and there has to repeatedly push on the brakes to stop the team going too fast over the entire season from august through late may they cover almost 10000 kilometers. in the evening have friends family and stuff gather for dinner on the top subject of discussion is as ever how preparations for the race a going today joined by a high profile guest and named. who won the event 3 times. road training going ok. yes i hope so. michael i don't think we did enough training. in terms of kilometers

yes last year we had $650.00 and now we only have around $300.00 and it's already the 19th ruefully and it's not enough. and his performances have also attracted sponsors this season she's getting funding from a dog food manufacturer together with other successful mushes making khanna the youngest member of the world's 1st professional dog sled squad although other than sharing a sponsor the mush is a not really a team each competing faery much for themselves. part of the team is like the biggest mushers in the world and for me it's an opportunity to. learn from the best so now i'm a part of that and i also have a few other sponsors and for me that i don't have a full term time job or i'm not fully educated i have to have sponsors and if not

i won't be able to do what i love to do every single day. then has to make do without financial backers. being a non-native makes him less attractive for now we just companies and only the very best mushes manage to secure lucrative sponsorship deals. and stylish what you can see on this mushing is becoming increasingly sort of fired up here it's hugely popular now with a growing number of people going professional. we're now starting to see big money sponsors sponsor teams is inside or as a family based kind of it's hard for us to keep up with the family in. mushing means investing a lot of time and money the dogs need to be put through their paces for the entire season from august through the end of may the financial outlay for their food and

equipment poses an additional challenge for the family then also just wants to win he's worked out that the animals cost us $30.00 to $40000.00 euros a year he went over there and i would love to keep them and also do the race for us so we're taking the plunge by asking if guests might want to go on a tour with us just because some some on some tour. and is able to recover some of the expenses by offering toxic toys which also provide for the training for the animals although that venture is compromised by having to tailor the tours to the wishes of his guests. 6 months on march 20 twentieth's and deafened mark slipping is about to begin the toughest dog sled race in your up with 1200 icy kilometers awaiting the competitors. but ben has doubts as to whether his team is in top shape. you would know they haven't done those long distances so far this year but have had to work really hard. not to

shoot rubies on board in the spirit i hope she puts on another good showing this hero. sureness ranma york new york marcus the clown in the team has been great in the preparation it's going. the dogs get a pretty race check up from veterinarians otherwise they're not allowed to compete . and ben is worried about the swelling on this one's leg. such as we will be our doctor says that if he has sound alternatives she'd suggest taking a different dog from. fortunately all the other docs are ok giving the green light for ben. and i take a photo of you next to each other pretty. well that's a good. plan or is accompanied by her mother from one checkpoint to the next trina competed in the race herself a number of times you have so much work with the dogs and to be able to be top 5

top 7 in a race like this very very hard because so many are good they know what they're doing and you have to have some luck but you also have to be very good yourself. it's party time in outta no ways mainly public t.v. station house daily updates off the race. this is a hands hot fix and has been covering the event for more than a decade. long and it's getting bigger every year it's a multi-faceted sport and isn't throwing to watch. so. the starting positions are drawn by knots with ben in 14th the fields comprises 30 teams from scandinavia plus a couple of contestants from germany and switzerland who all the more you are

desperate to get going i just hope we get off to a good start and then run our own. on a journey that will take 8 days and 8 nights ben sets out on the initial stage. of the 1st checkpoint his 12 hours away. among the last local girl hannah. with no weekend t.v. live on the scene. you own. already won the 500 kilometer race and the 1200. their traditional worlds were just want a decent finish for the big what's the best part of the race being out there alone with my dogs the lot of what about enjoy and good luck for. all that matters now with the finish with no more interruptions. the rule is a simple once out in the wild they're not allowed to have any assistance. over

the next 8 days the mushers the granted one extended break of 14 alice with short breezes always allowed to stay each one is 132 kilometers and the longest. there's little let up for the marshes as they literally dig deep and have to push their sled through the snow especially uphill. the checkpoints are manned by more than $600.00 volunteers taking care of the dogs. almost 12 hours in hanna arrives at the lever your check point and now every 2nd counts she's solely responsible for feeding the ducks the pack up emitted to take on nourishment but outside the checkpoint the foster manages to feed the dogs and get them wrapped up for the night the good be able to get some shuteye has settled for an hour or 2. it's

a routine hunter has practiced dozens of times we rested 2 hours. on the trail it's not. a lot of snow but it was a slog. almost 2 hours later then also reaches the 1st checkpoint with some bad news. one of his best stall sprained his shoulder after stepping into a hole. if more than 8 of the 14 a strong team failed to finish the race it's game over and the early loss of you is a bit of a setback for ben. unfortunately you have all the other teams breaking which creates divots. and then you have a dilemma. you want to help the dogs with lots of braids but then give the floor a trail and happens whatever. i do for. 10

minutes later ben sets out again from the checkpoint he prefers to catch a couple of hours now in his sleeping bag out on the trail away from the hustle and bustle of the help as cam. takes some more luck surest option and is able to get 2 hours sleep thanks to families camper van being parked at each checkpoint. working on but she has no time to chat nothing can stand in the way of her hopefully finishing 1st boyfriend and well. she goes in the bubble where you think you're going for the race. through the checkpoints or to just thinking about what you are going to do. ban on hand i now have 2 long stages ahead of them totaling to hunt. the 23

kilometer goes through takes them along a river by the finnish border daytime temperatures are already below 0 celsius as the dogs plow their way through this soft snow. it's now been 48 hours since the start and. at 330 in the afternoon ben reaches the checkpoint. over the past 48 hours historic stuff each burned up 24000 calories now they have to eat as much as possible before they get tired. then barely has time to sneak. a little over 3 hours on the slide you come close to falling off. but it's ok when they're constantly focused on the dogs it's something you chose to do and it's fun it's like a journey into yourself. it's another and ben is not the only one showing signs of

wear from the past 48 hours ruby his lead dog has picked up an injury this is how you can cool the area and you try to massage upwards towards the heart mark you want to argue i sure don't know but when you remove the ice don't spend too much time massaging you need to get some rest and sleep and the dogs to the other end of . the fin macrae says a monumental test and beast unlike. the human. this is the most important dog the brain of the team is this team's it'll be interesting to see if it works. while ben get some much needed if brief bit of rest hannah gets ready to get back on the trail. but surely racing at night is even more demanding for the musher. the difference between driving the night

that. is a bit easier to stay awake when it's light. sleep. not long at a time. try to stay awake. enjoy running to the. movie it's a bit colder on their way. to say they enjoy. the snow full stop. i haven't slept a wink. i lay down in my bed seeing these wild images all i could think about was

her. and now we have this weather coming up there is always going to be a pretty tough stage over the mountain. the old lady is a bit. yeah i think that's it. for. tonight into the mountains. and that's no no mercy then there's the deep snow

slowing down the sleds 2 teams have already had to give up. but the dogs certainly need no pushing the mushers wouldn't need to use whips and rangers even if they were allowed the animals tend to dictate the pace as one can testify but now it's time for her 14 hour break over dogs in our story. and i'm getting a bit tired. slowly through from the worm. the hard work starts. and then they embark on a 20 hour trek north east during which connor is able to overtake some rifles she's already moved up from 20th on the starting grid to 8 less than 2 hours behind the race leader then a struggling some way behind a further 5 hours down. 4 days into the race hannah speeds in close to the russian border. she's already covered 600 kilometers

but this is only around the half way point. as always there's no talking to daughter while also having to keep an eye on all the dogs. were. prepared for. the one. leaving as well ok her mouth about for intercourse to go well but he's not even that well. he. eats but not well ok which one we should all rip out of the family good luck one baby and. it would be ok. the veterinarian this received and a token payment for their assistance but for such a trout's money making the trip from the us it's worth it is very aware of the has to be a length of the race and this is a marathon not a one or 2 day issue so she's very much on top of it and i think are timeless

incredibly good. for the burger or caesar salad both are you know. he needs meat and battle. up until now i've given my dogs a lot of rest. and i see that my team is is moving faster down the trail than the team in front of me we have more dogs i have one dogs in my team then the people in front of me and it's still a long way to the finish line. the girl said no wonder you're quicker you're a lot lighter just your team is faster up building than home. the bus was a very windy oh yes a lot of headwind from the side i couldn't keep the slide steady it's guess it's not easy but you only took 4 hours and 58 minutes. have boyfriends mathias also wants to hear her updates. i thought morning not to the

last mountain i even had to slow them down so i'm sort of oh. i had to put on the brakes. yes they don't look too bad it's going really well. you know says the case with bet he's way off the pace and now stuck with his dunks at the night in check points he has now covered almost 2 thirds of the race distance but of his 14 dogs only 6 are fit to continue the absolute minimum. with a heavy heart he makes a heart breaking decision by the way the. one word. we wanted to set out 1st thing this morning they were not here but it turned out that 3 of the dogs had swollen like this one of them. had one of the basically we reached the limit for

the number of dogs required. and when the. we didn't achieve the goal that we've been working for all year. i think that with animals involved you never know and you just have to accept things and try better next time presently for both of you as a serious one as often as once you've got the bug you have to carry on. you have to be better prepared in the future and maybe get a bit of good luck to. believe she had on people. it's that way. ben was one of 10 competitors who had to drop out. ahead of hannah and her team is one of the longest and most challenging but also most prestigious stages of the finn mark race from here they only have 250

kilometers to the finish hanna has overtaken another 2 teams and is now in 6th place it's close to half a meter of snow so we have to go through and my dogs have been. running in that deep snow for around 9 hours soon 10 hours. working and running in kicking and. coming down from the mountain i call my mom and so. there are maybe half an hour to a checkpoint and they can get ready. really really bad news and my 1st thought was ok maybe with our dog has died or something like that. on march the 12th everything changed in norway even here in the isolated north of the country due to the spread of the corona virus the fed mark grace has had to be called off immediately. a shock for all involved you know the wars

going on. in the prime minister and. so that everything has to. to go to quick. it's dreadful news for tina little to her daughter has got just a few hours' sleep over the last few days trina is worried that a weakened hannah will be devastated by the development. and i just cried all the way into the checkpoint and once we got into a checkpoint everybody was there and it was just less. weird atmosphere. and cool and the hannah stream of the place on the witness podium.

i feel really bad for she was looking forward to this race horse she's been using a whole year training for this race it's obviously a lot of fun and. i know we would have a good finish. and i wanted to prove myself that i could do. this and i wanted to prove to everyone else too that i could do well in a race like this and even though i know i did a good race i don't feel like i've proved it because we never really finished. 2 days later it's back home and. i don't really think it has sunk

and i think my body is like still in shock a little bit because we've been caring and thinking about this race for 2 years and then we're finally doing it and it. is going very well. and it's just like it's just taking you know taken away from you and that is very hard for. for me and my body and my brain to process. reckons the race could have continued due to the remoteness of the route but by late summer. a hoax by a cop and raring to go again and hopefully in 2021 hannah and her team look at another chance to get a full kill rate. up

today don't miss our highlights w. program online w dot com highlights. carefully . to to. discover. documentary.

this is the w. news live from berlin julian assault to avoid extradition to be united states supporters of the wiki leaks founder of celebrate british judge finds little faults with the u.s. prosecutors case extradition to the u.s. would be oppressive because of the mental harm it would cold also have on the program iran says it has resumed its uranium enrichment after.