Precisely at 11pm on Saturday evening one could hear the opening shot of the Finnish Defence Forces, which gave the permission to 1,895 teams to head to the darkening night of Hälvälä. Every single Jukola audience member was gathered along the start line to cheer for the runners of the first leg.
The length of the first leg of Lahti-Hollola Jukola is 10.9-11.1 km. During the leg the dusk slowly turns into night. The fastest runners of the first leg are expected to reach the exchange approximately 10 minutes past midnight and the winning team is expected cross the finish line at around 6.40am.
Photo: Harri Hytönen