The winner of Iditarod wanted to go home with the sled dog

“I can go home, but I can't go home with my dog, and I won't leave them.”

Thomas Warner reached the pinnacle of the Thread Dog Race and won the 2020 Iditarod Race in Alaska. But while he was competing in a two-week race, something was happening all over the world.

Alaska reported its first COVID incident on March 13th, and the world had changed by the time the race ended five days later.

And Waerner and his 16 sled dogs were unable to return to Norway, particularly due to cancellation of freight plane flights and newly locked rules regarding international travel.

After more than two months of stranding in Alaska, Weaner has created a seemingly ridiculous plan. He knew of the 1960s Douglas DC-6B plane in Alaska, where Norwegian Aviation Museum had no money to transport. By offering to tip in, he and his dog were able to grab the ride.

After a 20-hour flight, they safely landed in Sora, Norway on June 3rd. Authorized pilot Waerner took control for an hour in Greenland. The cabin was vulnerable. “It's really loud,” Warner said. “And it was pretty cold on the plane.” But the dog was fine. “As soon as you put them in the box they fall asleep.”

“Flying nerds and dog nerds – they were actually gathering along following the plane during this trip,” he said. “It was really fun.”

Waerner, now 52, ​​is still shaking.

Looking back at his victory in Alaska, he remembers mostly the “power and spirit of that team.”

“From Kaltag to Unalakreet, they were just crazy,” he said. “Twelve hours of running without a break. They were screaming to go whenever I tried to stop.”

Sled dogs peak between 3 and 8 years old. “It's strength, physical, of course. But most importantly, learn your dog to be on the trail and get strong enough in his head.”

However, all athletes will be resigned. “My old super team is now retired,” he said. “They're 9 and 10,” Waerner reports that Alaska team leader Bark is still healthy at nearly 11 years old. “He's doing really good things, but you can see him getting older.”

Waerner hasn't returned to Iditarod since the 2020 race, but he hopes.

“It's too expensive to travel with a dog from Norway, but I still dream of coming back.

“I'm building a new team,” he said. “They're a little too young for the race.”

“That's a bit difficult,” he added. “You know you have that super team, and you want that feeling again, and you know the effort you have to make to get it.”

Warner said he always remembers the victory and extraordinary journey that followed.

“It's something you look back at the rest of your life,” he said. “You go to Alaska and you're the champion and then you have such a crazy return story that was actually insane.”

“I'll die one day,” he added. “Maybe I'm lying in my bed and saying, 'What have I done with my life?' I think this is one thing. ”