OSLO, Norway (AP) ‹ Focusing on speed, Norwegian firefighter Robert Sorlie made his country proud by becoming the first Norwegian to win Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
ŒŒThey're not prepared for this,'' Christian Engelschjoen, Sorlie's friend and neighbor, said Thursday about the way newspapers and television stations have covered Sorlie.
Engelschjoen said Norway, a Nordic country of 4.5 million residents, is more accustomed to success in cross-country skiing and biathlon than mushing dogs across Alaska.
Friends of the 45-year-old firefighter, last year's Iditarod rookie of the year, kept tabs on Sorlie's bid and offered their support while he trained.
ŒŒWithout them it would not have been possible for him to go,'' Engelschjoen said.
Sorlie's fellow firefighters made collections, even after working overtime, and they're hysterical supporters of the musher.
Egil Bakken, a chef at a downtown restaurant, was unaware Sorlie was up to something big, racing ŒŒThe Last Great Race'', as the Iditarod is called.
ŒŒMaybe it's because (Norwegians) focus on individual sports,'' Bakken said.
Sorlie's home in quiet Jeppedalen, near the capital, Oslo, and even nearer the vast proving grounds for his prize dogs.
ŒŒWe mush straight from our doors onto the trails, its endless,'' Engelschjoen said.
