Sven Engholm, Karasjok, Norway Sven Engholm was born in Sweden 41 years ago. He lives in the small Sami village of Karasjok in the very north of Norway (latitude 70 degrees) with his wife and three children. He has won the longest sled dog race in Europe, the 1000 km FinnmarkslÆpet, 11 times. His only race in the USA has been the Beargrease in 1993. He finished in third place as rookie of the year. In 1994 he finished first in the Olympic Dog Race in the Lillehammer Winter Olympics. He has received the Humanitarian Care of Dogs Award and also the Honour Award in Norway. Sven is a tour operator offering winter programs to people mainly from central Europe. He is a member of the local official committee for animal rights. Sven also has participated on expeditions on Greenland, Spitsbergen and Siberia. Sven is the first Scandinavian musher ever to bring his own complete team of dogs from Scandinavia to the starting line in Iditarod. Racing the Iditarod with his own dogs is not a new idea, but an old dream that has been too expensive to carry out because of the strict quarantine regulations to Norway. Sven says, "Thanks to good friends, racing in 1996 is possible!"

Nikolai Ettyne, Chykotka, Neshlan In 1996, Nikolai Ettyne will run his third Iditarod. He is one of only two Russians to have competed in this event. The 32 year old Chykotka Native ran dogs with his father when he was a child. He heard about the Iditarod when Libby Riddles won in 1985 and started thinking about participating someday. A wrestling coach, Nikolai was on the wrestling team at Khabarovsk University and traveled throughout the former USSR. He was also a member of the Bering Bridge Expedition in 1990. After he finished the 1991 Iditarod, he went "home" by running the first Hope race from Nome to Anadyr, Siberia. He ran that race again in 1992. Nikolai is a member of the board of directors of the Hope race. He is single.