Our Dogs Are Powered by
Our Sponsors 2023/2024
The Run Wild Family
Ben Marsden
Renate Strugstad Paulsen
Ben is originally from Oxforshire, England, but moved to France at a young age and lived there for 12 years before he decided to bike around Europe. He discovered Norway on hes cycle trip from the very south end of Norway to the northern most point and down into Skelleftå in Sweden. A 4000km trip. On his way he fell in lowe with Northern Norway and came back up the year after and started working for a large tourist sled dog company, before he finished his engeneering Master's degree in Offshore technology and Safety in the High Arctic.
After a few months of working in Svalbard for another kennel, he met Renate while she was studying and living in Longyearbyen. Ben has been actively racing with our dogs since 2017, and has participated in the Finnmarksløpet 600 km class four times.
When Ben is not on the sled, you will find him fishing any time of the year, although he's favourite is trout and salmon fishing in our local rivers.
Renate grew up on the southwest coast of Norway, but her roots are from northern Norway. After finishing her service with the Norwegian Army at the Russian boarder and East Interior of Norway she moved to Tromsø on a more permanent basis in 2012 to study geology and is currently working on her PhD in Marine geology and geophysics. She is also the shop manager for "Tromsø Dyrebutikk" the largest pet shop in northern Norway. She has a great passion for dog genetics, nutrition and group dynamics.
She is as many other Norwegians "born with skis on her legs" and with a heart for the outdoors. The fascination for dog sledding came early, and prior to meeting Ben in Svalbard and starting the Run Wild Mushing kennel,
you would usually find her skiing and running in the mountains with husky-hound mixes (also known as Scandinavian hounds).
Renate finished the World Championship in long distance racing in the 600 km class at Finnmarksløpet in 2023
Handler team 2023/2024
Cosette (born 2018)
The Ruler of the Run Wild Mushing Empire
Our Home
Rural lifestyle
Our house and kennel is situated in a quiet and hidden away valley between the majestic Malangen mountains and the Arctic fjords. We are surrounded by well-taken care of farmland, salmon rivers and an arctic birch forests.
On our kennel you may also meet our free-running chickens all year round, in addition to our three Norwegian Forest cats
CONTACT US
Skutvikveien 152, 9055 Mestervik.
Phone: (+47) 922 36 227
E-mail: contact@runwildmushing.com