They are three to remain in the competition to lift the first Arctic Alps Cup in march, after Emil Inauen, Aki Holck and Wolfram Schumacher scratched. The three mushers still in the race have set up a real competition inside the competition. 

Ketil Reitan starting the Finnmarkslopet 1000 2010

The three built-for-Long-Distance teams of the french Daniel Juillaguet and the norwegians Ketil Reitan and Jo Are Brennodden didn't get the conditions to express the quality of their teams in that shortened edition. But if they were for sure focused on the general LGO rankings, all of them had the Arctic Alps Cup in mind.

If Reitan has been the more steady along the race, each of them has been faster than the others on one stage or the other. If we consider their rankings without the other LGO mushers, here is what it gets (musher, number of 1st places, number of 2nd, number of 3rd): Reitan 5/1/2, Juillaguet 2/2/4, Brennodden 1/5/2. Ketil ends the race with a 21 minutes over juillaguet and 23 over Brennodden, which tells how close it was between them. But in fact, a lot happened at the beginning of the race as Brennodden lost 20 minutes on Reitan and 7 minutes 30 seconds on Juillaguet on the first stage only . Without such a bad start, he would have been real close to Reitan and could have tried to get him.

Jo Are Brennodden leaving the Levajok checkpoint during Finnmarkslopet 2010

After the first part of the Arctic alps Cup, what are the chances of those three to win it ? Ketil Reitan is in the ideal situation. The three first places in each Arctic Alps Cup gives 25, 18 and 15 points. He now owns 25 points and a second place  (in the Arctic Alps Cup Rankings) behind Brennodden in the Finnmarkslopet would make him the winner of the cup. Moreover, Ketil is the most experienced musher in long-ditance from those three. He has raced the big 4: Iditarod, Yukon Quest, Finnmarkslopet and La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc. Last year, he took a good 7th place in the Finnmarkslopet while Brennodden was 10th. Reitan will be at the start of the Finnmarkslopet to win it but if ever he is not in the struggle for the podium, he'll have the possibility to watch Brennodden and control his race.

Daniel Juillaguet has run all the editions of La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc and the Finnmarkslopet 500 two times but he is a newcomer in the Finnmarkslopet 1000 field. His goal will be to cross the finish line in Alta. He knows that he doesn't have the same training conditions than the norwegians ahve to prepare his dogs for the ultramarathon.

Daniel Juillaguet on the arriving area of La Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc 2010

Brennodden is the one who can bring changes in the Arctic Alps Cup rankings. If so far he has never beaten Reitan in the Finnmarkslopet, he's better year after year. Last year, he ran a solid and conservative race taking the10th place. Let's not forget that he has the best of the mentor with his father Kjell Brennodden, two time runner-up of the race. With a more agressive strategy, he can believe in his chances, but he is not any more master of his destiny on the Arctic Alps Cup.

Let's meet for the second part of the Arctic Alps Cup, on saturday the 12th of march at 11PM, in Alta for the start of the Finnmarkslopet. We'll keep you updated day by day on our website.

Visit  Finnmarkslopet's website

Photos : Thibaut Branquart - Pascal Lahure