– The film shows how important the voluntary efforts are for Offroad Finnmark

Offroad Finnmark’s media team produced a 52-minute long documentary.
– The film shows why the volunteers are the mainstay of Offroad Finnmark, says general manager Kjetil Johansen.

During Offroad Finnmark 2021, several of the regular contributors to the race’s media team were out to capture the good moments on film. The result is now clear: a 52-minute long documentary that will reflect the DNA of Offroad Finnmark.

The film is packed with great mountain bike scenes. Here there are drone clips, helicopter filming and interviews from the entire route; from Kvænangsbotn in the west to Karasjok in the east.

Jon Vidar Bull, Trond Anton Andersen, Anders Abrahamsen, Morten Broks, Rune Andreas Sjøstedt and Ole Kristian Kivijervi have all contributed clips to the film. Offroad Finnmark used a lot of resources during last year’s event to capture the cyclists’ ups and downs from the competition.

– The starting point was that we wanted to make a film that tells the good stories from the race. When we looked through the finished product, it became clear how important the efforts of the volunteers are. That’s why we wanted an extra sequence on the spirit of service and the role of the volunteers, towards the end of the film, says Kjetil Johansen.

– It got a little moist in the corners of both eyes when we had to express our thanks to the volunteers, he says. Ride leader and Offroad Finnmark founder Jørund Greibrokk puts it this way at the end of the film:

“We have a massive backbone and that is the volunteers. They are the ones who in many ways carry the entire race. Without them, it is impossible to implement.”

– Offroad Finnmark’s volunteers guide the participants through extreme challenges, giving them the feeling of being good enough and that they belong. Everyone needs such people in their lives, and our volunteers are just that for many of our participants. It doesn’t get bigger than that, says Kjetil Johansen.

The evaluations after the rides show that it is precisely the hospitality and the meeting with the Finnmarking that most often sticks with participants from other parts of the country and from abroad.

– There is something special about the Finnish markings. There are few places in the world where you experience such generous people. Everyone wants to help and contribute to ensuring that participants go home with great experiences, says Johansen, who is himself a westerner, but now lives in Finnmark and is the general manager of one of the world’s roughest sports events.

About the film itself, he says that the initial intention was to produce a pilot/documentary to be shown to selected media. He believes that the rawness among the cyclists, the adventure on the plains and the hospitality among the volunteers is something that deserves to be seen by more people.

– We want to be left with a pilot/documentary that makes active OF cyclists proud to be part of this game. At the same time, the national media must seriously open their eyes to the race. Cyclists who didn’t know about it will be made to want to try Offroad Finnmark. Here in Finnmark, the coverage of the race and the entire event is very good. But we believe the race has greater national and international potential, concludes Kjetil Johansen.