Mud, Records, and Glory – Historic Weekend at Karhunkierros 2025
This is a machine translation generated by ChatGPT. Original text by Marko Krapu in Finnish.
Mud, Records, and Glory – Historic Weekend at Karhunkierros 2025
A total of 3,412 runners started across the various Karhunkierros distances. Photo: Rami Valonen
NUTS Karhunkierros reached an all-time participation record as 3,412 runners tested their limits in Kuusamo’s wet and muddy conditions—roughly a 10% increase from the previous year.
A late-season snowstorm during race week impacted trail conditions in Oulanka National Park, adding difficulty. Temperatures ranged from just above freezing to nearly 15°C.
Athletically, the standout performance of the weekend came from Eevi Bengs in the 166 km race. It was known in advance that Bengs was in excellent shape and aiming to break Johanna Antila’s course record—but few expected such a dominant performance.
Bengs made history on two fronts: first, she smashed Antila’s previous record by over an hour with a time of 20:12:28.
More significantly, Bengs beat every male runner—an unprecedented feat in Karhunkierros history and a rare achievement in trail ultrarunning. The fastest man, Alexander Jungarå, finished nearly 23 minutes behind her.
“I slightly missed my original goal of sub-20 hours. I had early issues absorbing energy, but after 70 km things really clicked,” said Bengs. “This year was extremely muddy—Konttainen had mud, ice, and snow. I did one proper somersault but luckily wasn’t hurt.”
Bengs’ form looks promising ahead of the World Championships in Spain this September, where she’ll race the 82 km distance.
Aro and Höglund Face Tough Times
Excitement was high for the anticipated duel between 2022 winner Anton Aro and runner-up Casper Höglund in the men’s 100-mile race.
The duo quickly broke away from the field. Aro in particular looked strong, reaching the 60 km mark about 15 minutes ahead of Juuso Simpanen’s course record pace.
However, the flu symptoms Aro experienced earlier in the week caught up with him and he had to withdraw before the halfway point.
“I went all in and had high ambitions. Unfortunately, the bug hadn’t fully left my system. Time to recover and focus on the next races,” Aro commented.
With Aro out, Höglund moved into the lead but also had to stop at the 110 km aid station—his strength depleted. He attributed the fatigue to limited long runs due to his military service in Santahamina.
“Long runs have been scarce this year because of the army, and it really showed. Luckily I’ll have more time to train this summer,” a disappointed Höglund said.
With both favorites out, Alexander Jungarå of Espoo was crowned surprise winner.
“I exceeded expectations. I hoped for a podium at best. The cold early weather didn’t bother me, but when it warmed up during the day, it got tough. Luckily, my nutrition strategy worked well overall,” Jungarå said.
Width Floats and Dominates
The 55 km distance was the second race in the Trail Tour Finland series.
Kristiane Width won with a strong time of 5:31:27, though her race wasn’t without drama.
“All my gear flew out of my vest in the first kilometer—so I had no water or nutrition until Basecamp (around 32 km). That threw me off a bit, but I just pushed through. I totally forgot how brutal the last 7 km are—it felt like the Swiss Alps,” said Width, who also moved into the overall lead in the series.
In the last month alone, Width has run six marathons and one half marathon. Is her body holding up?
“Now it’s time for a short break! Even for me, this is crazy,” she laughed.
The remaining podium spots went to Matroona Heikkinen (6:11:26) and Malin Fransberg (6:17:19).
In the men’s 55K, Kari Heikura left no room for doubt and claimed victory for the third year in a row at Karhunkierros, this time with a time of 4:40:07. In previous years, he had won the 34K.
“At 40 km, I was sure I would quit. But I fought through. I hammered the easy parts and crawled the technical ones,” Heikura said.
Markku Elo, who had placed third at Bodom Trail two weeks prior, moved into the overall Trail Tour Finland lead by finishing second in 4:53:21. All-round endurance athlete Kari Varis completed the podium in 5:04:18.
15-Year-Old Eemil Penttinen Stuns on the Short Distance
In the 83 km race, Estonian Risto Mägi celebrated victory with a time of 8:03:19. Tommi Lintala, who had aimed for the course record, had to settle for second (8:25:11). His clubmate Petrus Genas finished third in 8:32:45.
Paula Havu was dominant in the women’s field (9:34:40), defeating Saila Kaipainen by more than half an hour. Kirsi Vehviläinen came third with a time of 10:42:24.
On the 34K, Maija Oravamäki proved her consistency, winning in 3:22:02. Teija Lehtimäki followed (3:37:07), and Maija Kaisanlahti took third (3:41:21).
With Heikura opting for the 55K, Eero Aittolampi seized the opportunity to win the 34K in 3:01:38. Anthony Sebergsen of Norway came second (3:05:41), and Marko Juvonen third (3:11:07).
In the 13K, 15-year-old Eemil Penttinen, an orienteer from Suunta Jyväskylä, surged ahead in the final sprint to beat the men and win in 1:04:19. On the girls’ side, Saana Tulppo repeated her victory from last year with 1:14:20.
Juulia Ojala also defended her title successfully, but needed some luck—Riikka Tulppo got lost late in the race while leading by about a minute, allowing Ojala to slip by and win in 1:09:37.
Trail Tour Finland continues in mid-June at NUTS Syöte, with distances of 10, 25 and 40 kilometers. There are also youth distances (2.5 and 5 km), and over 630 runners have already registered.
Original text: Marko Krapu