NUTS Ylläs in Pallas: Seven New Course Records and a Record Number of Participants

Wow, I’m at a loss for words!

This year’s NUTS Ylläs Pallas will be remembered as an event where old course records didn’t stand a chance. Runners dusted off the old records no fewer than seven times, leaving the audience wondering whether this was a sporting event or just an illegal drag race.

And as the crowning glory at the summit of the fell, the event also set a new attendance record. A total of 3,242 participants set out on the various courses, representing an increase of about 25 percent over last year.

At the same time, NUTS continued its incredible streak. This was already the eighth trail running event in a row to set a new attendance record. A feat that’s truly unparalleled.

This article reviews all the route records set over the weekend in the order they were set. Fasten your seatbelts—here we go!

Kari Variksen’s Blood-Soaked Performance

The first course record was set by the reigning Trail Tour Finland champion, Skiing Advisor Kari Varis.

Varis challenged the record held by Juuso Simpanen at the 66-kilometer mark and succeeded in breaking it by just under four minutes, with a final time of 5:17:55.

– I had calculated that (record) a little in advance. It’s an impressive time,” said Varis, who finished 18th at the European Championships, acknowledging the record set by Simpanen three years ago.

When Varis crossed the finish line, he seemed a little dazed and didn’t really celebrate his victory. The reason soon became clear.

– Old age doesn’t come alone. In Kivikko, I took two really bad falls, and the second one was so bad that I was lucky to be able to keep going. “I had to take a couple of minutes to pull myself together,” said Varis, who was bleeding from his chin, arm, and both knees when he crossed the finish line.

Even before the event, Varis had announced that one of his main goals for the rest of the season was to challenge Juho Ylinen at the Nuuksio Classic in September. Is he tempted to take on even longer ultra races?

“Yes, this is the longest trip I’ll ever take,” Varis said resolutely, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Benjamin Holmgren, the winner of the 55-km NUTS Karhunkierros race, finished second behind Variksen (5:52:15), ahead of Mikael Tammilehto, a young skier from Espoo (6:24:59).

As in the previous year, Kaisa Pirkonen took first place in the women’s race over the same distance, improving her winning time by about 37 minutes to 6:47.41. The next places went to Heini Hartikainen, Erika Lehtola, and Aliisa Kautovuori —the trio finished within just over a minute of each other.

Juuso Simpanen’s Magical Run

So Juuso Simpanen lost the course record at Ylläs-Pallas, but only for about 8.5 hours.

Simpanen was crowned champion in his favorite 160-kilometer race. This time, he also succeeded where he had to settle for second best in last year’s heat—setting a new course record. Slovakian Marian Priadka’s time was ultimately rendered obsolete when Simpanen crossed the finish line in Äkäslompolo with a time of 16:06.19.

– It went according to plan. My target time was December 16. I took it easy at the start, and the cool weather helped with that. At Peurakalti (111 km), I was right on schedule—around midnight. “I’m really happy,” beamed Simpanen, who also set a course record in the 100-mile NUTS Karhunkierros race at the end of May.

On a long journey, the mind can play all sorts of tricks on you, but as an experienced ultra-runner, Simpanen was prepared for that as well.

– Whenever there was a slightly harder or more challenging section, I’d put on some pop music through my earbuds for a moment. Otherwise, I thought quite a bit about how much I wanted to set this record and how good it would feel once I achieved it.

What was particularly noteworthy about Simpanen’s record were his quick refueling times. In total, Simpanen estimated that he spent just under nine minutes refueling himself during the entire race. A particularly thrilling moment was Simpanen’s aid station stop after the 66-kilometer run: Simpanen drank about a liter of fluid straight from the bottle while his support crew member, Petri Askola, refilled his hydration vest with new bottles. All of this took exactly one minute.

Simpanen drew the most attention, but the performance of Lauri Hartikainen, who finished second, is also noteworthy. Hartikainen improved on his time from last year by about two hours and 12 minutes, finishing with a time of 17:31:41. A year earlier, that time would have put him just one minute behind Simpanen. Tuomas Kamunen’s bronze-medal time of 18:33.54 is also excellent.

Huopaniemi played through a sore ankle

Just under six hours later, the crowd in Äkäslompolo had another reason to celebrate when one of the season’s rising stars, Ulla Huopaniemi, set the event’s third course record with a time of 160 kilometers.

The record set by Irene Päärni four years ago was narrowly, but sufficiently, broken by just under two minutes, with a time of 21:47.36.

– It was quite a surprise, because it was a real battle right up to the end. I didn’t even know what the course record was. Winning the jersey is still my main goal for this season, Huopaniemi said modestly.

Runners who have successfully completed the Karhunkierros and Ylläs-Pallas trail races, as well as the 130-kilometer Vaarat Marathon, will be awarded a special “Finisher” vest at the end of the season—a vest that very few trail runners actually own.

Huopaniemi’s performance is made all the more impressive by the fact that he sprained his ankle around the 20-kilometer mark. After that, his ankle was taped up, and by the time he crossed the finish line, his leg looked like the Tikkurila color chart.

– My ankles are already pretty loose to begin with. I have to admit, at first I wondered if I should quit because of this, but then at some point I just stopped thinking about it altogether.

Kirsi Vehviläinen finished second (22:30.27) ahead of Piia Tikka (24:57.42).

In this year’s 160-kilometer race, the dropout rate was about 34 percent, whereas a year ago, half of the participants had to swallow the bitter pill of dropping out. The cooler weather certainly made the race easier for many.

The otter even beat all the men

About twenty minutes after Huopaniemi’s goal, there was another reason to celebrate.

Pirjo Saukko sprinted across the finish line at the 100-kilometer mark, setting not only a new course record of 11:59.43 but also finishing as the fastest runner in the entire race—including the men. This is an achievement that very few women have managed in similar events.

– “Breaking the record feels absolutely amazing. I’ve had so many tough years behind me that this was a reward for all that hard work,” Saukko said, clearly moved.

– All the way to Peurakalti (about 54 km), my stride was practically flying. But during the long stretch that followed, my energy just wasn’t keeping up, and to be honest, I probably had to stop in the bushes about 12 times. Toward the end, it got a little easier, but my pace definitely slowed down, too.

Saukko broke the record previously held by Anna Hopia by more than 18 minutes. Hopia competed again this time and finished second (13:27.13). Kia Lehti came in third ( 13:37.28).

In the men’s 100-meter race, the top three finishers were Matteus Tiiro (12:36.23), Antti Ahola (12:44.31), and Perttu Hietala ( 13:11.25).

Tuomas Kari’s downhill waxing is in good shape

As usual, the 37-kilometer race was part of the Trail Tour Finland (TTF) series.

The top pre-race favorite, Tuomas Kari, showed that the CCC project during UTMB week is on track. The result was a convincing victory with a new course record of 2:30:11.

– The race got off to a brisk start with Juho ( Leinonen) and Rem ( Lindholm). We were skiing just slightly below our maximum pace, and I realized we couldn’t go any faster. On the uphills, Juho pushed hard, and I was mostly waiting for the downhills, which are my strength. And after the summit at Ylläs, I was able to pull away from the others. Apparently, my wax didn’t work right on the ski corner, Kari noted.

Stomach problems proved to be the undoing of Leinosen, the winner of the NUTS Syöte race, and his race ended in a withdrawal.

National team skier Lindholm held on to second place with a solid time of 2:35.28. The skiers’ strong performance was rounded out by Juuso Mattila ( 2:40.30), the fourth-place finisher in the Finnish Sprint Championships, who also had to veer off into the bushes.

Tuomas Karikaan didn’t get through it without some difficulties either.

– I almost had a scare at the top of Pirunkuru when my hamstring cramped up badly. My legs were pretty tired after a hard training session. So I took a few sips of my drink for about a minute and stretched before I could continue on my way. That’s basically what cost me the sub-2.5-hour finish.

In the women’s race over the same distance, a course record was also expected, as the current record holder, Anna-Stiina Erkkilä, signed up for the race at the last minute. However, she wasn’t quite at her best, although she did secure a commanding victory with a time of 3:01.58. Pauliina Utriainen (3:07.55) finished second, ahead of Erkkilä’s coach, the experienced Maija Oravamäki (3:10.57).

The Finnish record holder in the half marathon is on the move

The last course records of the weekend were set on the shortest distance, 15 kilometers.

First, Juuso Utriainen, the husband of Pauliina Utriainen, won the race by 9 seconds ahead of skier Juho Latvakoski. Kevin Sandell finished third. The course record, now held by Utriainen, stands at 1:01.52.

– I’ve run in trail races twice before this, and this was the first time I wore a backpack (hydration vest). The route was magnificent, the scenery was beautiful, but for a marathon runner like me who’s used to asphalt, that uphill stretch (Pirunkuru) was quite a struggle. A friend (Latvakoski) caught up to me in a flash on the uphill and pulled well ahead on the rocky downhill, but my strength was on the flat sections, and I managed to pull ahead a bit at the end, Utriainen said.

Utriainen, who has competed in numerous major competitions, still holds the Finnish half-marathon record (1:02:50) set in 2011.

On the women’s side, Hanna Jantunen added another victory to her already impressive list of achievements, setting a new course record of 1:09.46 in the process. The silver medal went to Märta Johansson of Sweden (1:10.26), ahead of Salla Tompuri (1:13.41), who is under 16 years old. The fastest runner in the under-16 boys’ division was Otso Muittari (1:16.07).

NUTS Ylläs Pallas proved once again that trail running is alive and well.

Text by Marko Krapu