Thomas Waerner, 42, was born in England and raised in Norway. He moved to a mountain in Torpa, Synnfjell, in 1991 because it was a perfect place for mushing and he had a cabin there. He had begun mushing in 1984 and had been dreaming about the Iditarod since he was a boy. He has been one of the top mushers in open class sprint, mid-distance and stage racing. He won the Finnmarksløpet in 2013 and has medaled in the Femundløpet, “My wife, Birgitte, and I have about 60 dogs in the kennel. We’ re in a team with Robert Sørlie, Team Elkonor. I started with dog mushing at the age of 11 with a Newfoundland dog! The dogs are a big part of my life. My reason for entering the Race is to have fun and see the great race from the inside!” Thomas is an electrician and owns his own Electric Company. He and Birgitte have two children, Herman, age 9, and William, age 4. He says he enjoys “old muscle cars – Mustangs.”