The former Guinness World Record holder of 24-hour cross country skiing, Teemu Virtanen, is going to roller-ski from Hanko, Finland’s southernmost point, to Utsjoki, the northernmost point, 1600 km in total. Juha Mieto, a ski legend from Finland, is supporting him on this tough journey and more guests can join along the way! Wsportmedias Finnish site Kestavyysurheilu.fi will closely follow and report from the adventure.
The Hanko-Utsjoki challenge starts on June 10, and the route follows the west coast of Finland, passing through many famous cities and towns. The total distance is about 1000 miles (1,600 km).
“The initial plan is to ski about 100 miles per day. Naturally, the weather and the conditions of the roads play a huge part in a challenge like this. Regardless, my goal is to finish this well before Midsummer,” Virtanen sheds light on the event.
Teemu Virtanen is also aiming to take back the World Record in 24-hour Skiing, which is now held by another Finn, Hans Mäenpää, at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm next winter.
“This undertaking is a great preparation for that. Additionally, I want to encourage and inspire all skiers to train well over the summer and to promote ultra-skiing, which isn’t yet overly popular in cross-country skiing. Roller-skiing is the best possible training method for skiers,” Virtanen continues enthusiastically.
Finland has been traveled across using various equipment and devices, but roller-skiing isn’t among them.
“I believe I’m the first one in the world to do so,” says Virtanen.
Juha Mieto, an Olympic and World Championship medalist and one of the most popular cross-country skiers in the world, will cheer and support Teemu all the way from his home in Kurikka to the end of the road in Utsjoki.
The Hanko-Utsjoki project is supported by the Nordic sport marketing company Wsportsmedia and the Finnish news site kestavyysurheilu.fi who will closely follow and report from the quest.
TENTATIVE DAILY SCHEDULE
Day 1: Hanko – Raisio
Day 2: Raisio – Pori
Day 3: Pori – Kurikka
Day 4: Kurikka – Jacobstad
Day 5: Jacobstad – Oulu
Day 6: Oulu – Kemi
Day 7: Kemi – Rovaniemi
Day 8: Rovaniemi – Sodankylä
Day 9: Sodankylä – Inari
Day 10: Inari – Utsjoki 
