Jukola relay

"Jukola" redirects here. For other uses, see Jukola (disambiguation).
The Jukola 2012 relay start had 1600 men with their headlamps
350 half-platoon tents that were used to host the teams in Kuopio-Jukola
350 half-platoon tents provided by Finnish Defense forces were used to host the teams in Kuopio-Jukola.[1] Video of building the tent village.
The Jukola 2016 relay
Jukola 2012: 1250 maps waiting Venla orienteers from the first leg

The Jukola Relay is an orienteering relay race held annually in Finland since 1949. Jukola is the biggest orienteering relay event in the world.[2][3][4][5] The race takes place on a Saturday between 13 and 19 June in sites around Finland. The northernmost location has been 50 km north of the Arctic Circle. The name Jukola is a family name in the classic Finnish novel, "Seven Brothers". The women's relay, known as the Venla Relay, is a daytime race on the Saturday afternoon. It is named after the main female character from the novel.[6]

The Jukola relay has seven legs with varying distances. The starting time is around 11 pm when the sun sets. Runners for the first three legs usually wear headlights, depending on the geographical site (northern or southern Finland) of the relay and the weather conditions. The winning team crosses the finishing line early on Sunday morning, around 6 or 7 am, and the last teams finish just before the finish is closed in the afternoon. Women can participate in the Jukola relay in non-official teams (non-sports club teams, like company, family or other teams).[7]

For the women, an individual race with a mass start was organized in 1951. This was turned into a three-leg relay race in 1978 and then a four-leg relay race in 1981. In 2012 the Jukola relay attracted close to 1700 teams and the Venla relay more than 1250. Clubs from 20 countries took part.

The "Kaukametsäläiset"[8] association is the founder of the Jukola relay and it is also the owner of the rights to the Jukola event.

  1. ^ "Puolijoukkueteltat pystyyn | Kuopio-Jukola 2014". www.jukola.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 2016-05-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "The world's largest orienteering relay leads the way for the future". Porvoo Borgå Jukola 2023. 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  3. ^ "Top 10 most popular orienteering races in the world, open to everyone". All4o.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  4. ^ "Presidentti Niinistö jakoi videon perisuomalaisesta näystä Mynämäessä: "So very Finnish"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  5. ^ "Finnish Event Heroes: Arctic circle Jukola, Rovaniemi | Visit Finland". fcb.visitfinland.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  6. ^ "Etusivu - Jukolan viesti". Jukolan viesti – Jukola relay – Jukola kavlen (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  7. ^ "General information". Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  8. ^ "Association Kaukametsäläiset". Retrieved 2012-03-11.