Sam Deltour

January 2nd 1985 little Sam was born. Outside temperature dropped way below zero and just a few hours after he broke into tears for the first time, it started snowing really hard. One thing was certain: the Gods had plans with this kid.

He was an unmanageable toddler. It made his mother want to tear out her hair and scream. What could she do with such a stubborn lump of energy? His parents sent him to the Freinet-school, a school that focusses on education starting from the child’s interest. There the little boy could live his life to the full.

Soon he developed a passion for sports like running and biking. Around that time fate struck him. Why did he watch television that day? Why did he change the channel to National Geographic Channel? Why was there a documentary on about the Iditarod that day? Nobody knows, but one thing is certain: what he saw impressed him deeply.

His lectures in class dealt with historic polar expeditions. At night he slept without covers to harden himself against the cold. Constantly he was reading books to gather knowledge about the North.

While he was dreaming about icy landscapes, he practiced sports: Run-Bike-Run, Survivalrun, triathlon, mountain marathon, a solo excursion in the Scottisch Highlands in the Fall… All the time he was looking for a challenge. After obtaining his bachelor degree in medicine he decided to follow his dream. He joined Dries on a trip to Italy, there he learned the basis of mushing and now he is where he wants to be: in Alaska, preparing for the Iditarod.