Over 700 runners registered for Syöte trail celebration
This is a machine translation generated by ChatGPT. Original text by Marko Krapu in Finnish.
NUTS Syöte, held for the second time, is on track to break its previous participant record. Just a few days before the event, over 720 names are already on the start list. Last year, 489 runners hit the trails.
Trail running’s popularity continues strong – just three weeks ago, NUTS Karhunkierros saw a new record of 3412 participants. Also, the Trail Tour Finland season opener, Bodom Trail, grew nearly 10% year-over-year, with almost 1300 participants.
It’s great to see Syöte’s rapid growth – the southernmost fell of Finland provides an excellent trail network for events. Even the Jukola orienteering relay falling on the same weekend doesn’t seem to cause major trouble, other than a few top orienteers being absent.
Due to the higher number of participants, the 25 km on Saturday will be split into two start groups. The first wave (approx. 200 runners) starts at 12:00 with those aiming for top placements or running at a faster pace.
The second wave will start at 12:05 and also includes around 200 runners.
All other distances have one start group. You can find the full schedule on the event website.
17-year-old Ojala developing fast
The 25 km at NUTS Syöte is the third Trail Tour Finland race of the season. From the women’s and men’s top 5, only Mai Helske (currently 3rd in overall rankings) is competing. So the tour standings are likely to tighten after this event.
Helske is expected to fight for top positions at Syöte, but the main favorites are Laura Heikkilä and Juulia Ojala.
Ojala placed third on this same course last year behind Elina Halonen and Riitta-Liisa Roponen. Neither of them is expected to start this year.
“I had a great experience last year. The route has really runnable sections but also a few steep climbs and descents,” Ojala says.
“Of course, I’m aiming for the top, and it’d be amazing to do well, but I’m trying not to stress about it,” adds Ojala, who ran 2:14:09 last year.
She recently won the 13 km at NUTS Karhunkierros for the second year in a row, although this time she benefitted from Riikka Tulppo getting lost while leading.
Ojala, turning 18 in December, has only been running competitively for about a year. She has a background in skiing and swimming, and now trail running is becoming her main sport.
“My goal in trail running is to build a long and healthy career and to really enjoy it. I’d love to compete abroad someday and see where my potential can take me.”
How well does track speed carry over to trails?
At 38, Laura Heikkilä is a new name in trail running. She has been a regular 10,000-meter finalist at the Finnish national championships (PB 36:55.78) and nearly broke the 3-hour mark on her first road marathon (3:01.57) last fall.
“I could pretty much say this is my first trail running event. I did a short 6 km trail race last fall, but that was it. I’ve followed trail events on social media and they always seem to have such a great vibe. I picked Syöte because the timing fit – and I’ve heard the route is mostly very runnable,” says Heikkilä.
In the future, she’s interested in moderate-length trail events like Syöte’s 25 km. Will she race to enjoy or to win?
“The plan is to enjoy the summer and vacation vibes… but we’ll see once the bib is on. I’m excited to try this out!” she laughs.
Other expected front-runners include Charlotte Rautio, Greta Sariola, and Ella Keski-Panula.
Eetu Nordman eager to hit the trails
On the men’s 25 km, last year’s winner Petteri Kymäläinen and runner-up Johannes Soutukorva return to race.
This year, they’ll be joined by Eetu Nordman, still in contention for the Finnish national team for trail running world champs. His spring was disrupted by allergies.
“After a rough spring, I’m fired up to race again. Syöte’s trails are beautiful – I’m really looking forward to it. My lungs are finally working and my ankle is good. I’m far from peak form, but I feel great otherwise,” Nordman says.
His main goal this season is a strong showing at a race in Corsica in early July – a potential ticket to the national team.
Nordman is a clear favorite for Syöte: last fall, he beat Soutukorva by 8 minutes and Kymäläinen by 10 minutes at the Aulanko Tower Trail 22 km.
He often does a final tune-up session at the legendary Malminkartano hill in Helsinki during race week – and this time was no different. But unlike in this video, he skipped the killer 1000m intervals and saved something for race day.
Trail power couple leads the 40 km
The 40 km course at NUTS Syöte has two top favorites – and they live in the same household.
Maarja and Risto Mägi are well known on the ultra scene and often among the top finishers. Risto recently won the Karhunkierros 83 km and will defend his 2024 Syöte win.
“Karhunkierros went well. My legs still feel it a bit, but I think I’ll be ready for Syöte,” he says.
“Last year the course had a lot of water, which slowed things down. But I really liked the route – lots of fast trails and also some technical sections and a steep rocky final climb,” Risto Mägi recalls.
His time last year was 3:05:56. The runner-up, Risto Mattila, finished 22 minutes behind. Will the sub-3-hour barrier fall this time?
“It’s possible, if conditions are good. That’s my goal – but I’ll need a perfect run.”
Maarja acted as Risto’s support crew last year and got to know the course. She skipped Karhunkierros this year due to illness.
“I’m just happy to make it to the start line. No time goals – just hoping for a smooth run with good energy.”
“Training has gone well this year. I’ve added variety due to past injuries – lots of skiing in the winter and now mainly cycling. I’ve also tried to do weekly strength training,” says Maarja, who will tackle the Eiger Ultra Trail 101 km in July with Risto.
Her toughest competition might come from Matroona Heikkinen, who placed second at Karhunkierros 55 km. Last year’s 2nd and 3rd at Syöte, Niina Halonen and Eevi Karppinen, are also aiming for the podium.
The 25 and 40 km races will take place on Saturday. On Friday evening, there’s a 10 km race along with 2.5 km and 5 km runs for kids and youth.
Text: Marko Krapu