Visma Ski Classics Challengers is growing, and another Finnish event is joining the series. Lake Saimaa Roller Ski Marathon is a classic rollerski competition between the two Spa Hotels by the Lake Saimaa in two towns Imatra and Lappeenranta, South Karelia, Finland. The race is the first Finnish summer Challengers event.

The track also visits the Imatra Roller-ski track in Ukonniemi Stadium. The race course is 15km long and there will be four laps starting and finishing in the Ukonniemi Stadium. When racing the 60km long competition, one can enjoy Finland’s largest lake’s beautiful scenery. 

The women’s competition will be held on Saturday and the men’s competition on Sunday. Imatra offers one of the best rollerski conditions in Finland with a modern shooting area and Ski Club Imatran Urheilijat has a long experience in organizing competitions in cross-country skiing and biathlon. 

Lake Saimaa Roller Ski Marathon is a brand-new event that was created in order to promote the region. 

“We want to make Imatra and Southern Karelia a well-known place as a sports center. By organizing a big annual international event, we hope to increase tourism further in the area,” says Race Director Kari Ahonen. 

Imatra is located in the Southeastern part of Finland, in the region of South Karelia, by the shores of Lake Saimaa. Imatra and its main sight Imatrankoski rapids are the oldest tourist attraction in Finland. The rapids have been one of Europe’s most significant sights since the 18th century, and the wild water has not lost its allure over the ages.

The race takes place at Imatra Ukonniemi sports resort area, a perfect setting for an active holiday. The area has numerous modern sports facilities, two big spa hotels, and all the winter skiers’ services. Imatra Ukonniemi is known as one of the first training destinations to open in winter, as they open a 5 km ski track every year already in late October. 

“In general, we want to urge forward skiing as a popular way of sports not only during winter but also during summer. We have noticed that long distance skiing becomes more popular all the time among athletes and public. Because of the climate change, we want to utilize our roller ski conditions even though we have great conditions to do competitions on natural and artificial snow during winter too,” explains Ahonen further.  

Lake Saimaa Roller Ski Marathon will take place on September 11th and 12th, 2021 for the first time. Registration opens soon. 

An updated list of all Challengers can be found here.