The starting shot for the 76th Jukola relay race was fired in Tikkala, Mikkeli, from the SBS Beton Oy factory area, sending 1,720 orienteers from 20 different countries heading towards the terrain of South Savo.
The starting shots were fired by the commander of the Karelia Brigade, Brigadier General Jyri Raitasalo, the CEO of Maanrakennus Suutarinen Oy, Markus Suutarinen, and the CEO of SBS Betoni Oy, Juho Suutarinen.
Urbaanit Eränkävijät club was caught up with at the finish line, where a large crowd was watching the competition on a big screen. The women were in a cheerful, relaxed and encouraging mood. They were proud of their participation and were celebrating their anniversary in a light-hearted way.
“We are Urbaanit Eränkävijät club and celebrating our 10th anniversary. Ten years ago, we participated in the Venla relay race for the first time. We had two teams in the Venla relay race, and now, for the first time, we have a team in the Jukola relay race. Urbaanit Eränkävijät is here to enjoy the festive atmosphere and watch at least one leg of the race. There are no men in our Jukola team; it is all female.
The women assess the potential winners with relaxed interest, without any strong prior knowledge or definite predictions. They mention Gothenburg and Stora Tuna, but immediately add that they have not followed the starting lists. They know some of the Finnish teams, but do not have high expectations for them. Their assessment remains open, and the cheerful women express slight doubts about their success.
Text: Markku Sormunen
Main photo: Samu Romo
Translation: Irma Gynther-Karppinen
Tuija Soikkeli, Virva Niissalo, Paula Montell, Miia Ståhlberg, Annakaisa Karlsson