The name Odin comes from Norse mythology and belongs to one of the most well-known and powerful gods in this tradition. He is often depicted as a wise, yet complex and mysterious god. So how could there be any better name than that for our champion: Odin.
If Gaga is the one cornerstone of the Kennel, Odin is the other.
Odin is not related to any other dog in the kennel, as Petter bought him from Ketil Reitan. “As a young dog, he was similar to Hog, always excited when something was going on.” said Petter. He had a tough time in his first year, spinning around a lot and even hurting his knee from it. But he came back even stronger from that and learned to channel his energy properly. Odin developed into one of the best long-distance dogs of all time: “For many years, Hog and Odin were the best dogs in the world in my eyes.” What sets him apart is his endurance and robustness: “He is a tough dog.” This is why Petter also likes to choose him for breeding, and these genes have proven to be excellent in current champions like Magnum, Kodiak, Fina, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Junior, Irek, and Asrael (for all active followers of this year’s Finnmarksløpet: yes, that’s almost half the team 😉 ).
Mutual Trust
But Odin also has his very own character. He is not the kind of dog that comes to get cuddles all the time. “He is very serious about his work, he doesn’t play around.” What also distinguishes him is his great loyalty, especially to Petter. “He often looks like he wouldn’t listen to anything you say, but he is the one that really listens.” Especially when Petter might be annoyed by something. “He would come to me and be like, ‘So what’s the problem?'” He is never scared of anything.
Odin
- Odin
- born in 2014
- Femundløpet 2017, Finnmarksløpet 2018, 2023
- famous offsprings: Magnum and Kodiak, Fina, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Junior, Hester, Beretta, Irek, and Asrael
- training in the A-Team
he has proven himself
“Odin might be the best long distance dog I have ever seen, sure his next generation in my team might be even stronger, but they have to prove themself first like Odin did.” And that’s no small feat. Since 2017, Odin has finished every race with Petter. He was there when Petter crossed the finish line of the Femundløpet 2017 in record time, and was part of the winning team of the Finnmarksløpet 2018. He was also there throughout the Finnmarksløpet 2019, 2020, and 2022. When he won the world championship title with Petter in 2023, he was already 8, almost 9 years old. He trained with the race team throughout the entire 2024 season but just missed making the final team shortly before the race. Nevertheless, Odin’s athletic career is far from over; he is currently training with the A-team and is a hot candidate for the upcoming racing season!
Finnmarksløpet 2020
At the checkpoint with Petter
Finnmarksløpet 2018
