Vaarojen Extreme 65 km

Vaarojen Extreme 65 km

This page covers the 2026 Vaarojen Extreme. The race is the full circuit of Lake Herajärvi, 65 km as measured from the route file — exactly the loop the ultra runners cover twice. It has been run over this distance since 2018. Placing prizes go only to those who started at 07:00; in the rolling start, the clock starts at the line.

At about 19 km, at Rykiniemi, the course wades the Herajoki, about 15 metres wide, along a guide cable over a rocky bed in cold water. Organiser water points stand at the ford, at Kiviniemi around 39 km and at Peiponpelto around 54 km; everything else the runner carries. Runners must leave Kiviniemi by 17:00, and there are 16.5 hours until the finish closes at midnight. The organiser notes that the sun rises around the start and sets after six in the evening, so the last part of the course may need a light.

Between Kiviniemi and Peiponpelto there are fifteen kilometres with nothing but your own pack. The Livebib link shows family the runner’s position on the course line, distance covered and a finish estimate; if the phone loses signal, the position is carried forward along the course and marked as estimated rather than frozen on the map.