The Complete Idiot's Guide to NUTS Karhunkierros 100-Mile Ultra Trail Run

 

I feel like a complete idiot for not running NUTS Karhunkierros 166 km (103 miles) before. I have done both UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) and Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, yet nothing compares to Karhunkierros. I'm writing this guide to prevent YOU making the same mistake I made. You'll have to finish this superb world-class event at least once, or you are missing out big time.

What is Karhunkierros

The legendary Karhunkierros (Bear's Trail) is Finland's most popular hiking trail, leading you through most scenic locations by the roaring waters of Oulanka National Park. The one-way distance is 83 km from Ruka in Kuusamo to Hautajärvi at the Arctic Circle in Lapland. Yes, there are bears in the forest, but encounters with them are rare. Check out Oulanka Live Web Cam on YouTube to see what it looks like over there right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aaF82xpU80!

What is NUTS Karhunkierros

NUTS (Northern Ultra Trail Service) Karhunkierros is a huge trail running event with up to 3,000 runners participating in 34, 55, 83 and 166 km races. The event is presented by Garmin and La Sportiva. The marked out-and-back 100-mile course has only 3,780 meters (12,402 ft) of elevation gain and a generous 36-hour cut-off time. The race has been organized in every May since 2013 (except 2020). The 166 km distance was added in 2015. 

Please don't let that fool you into thinking that this race is a piece of cake. The weather can be cold or hot. rainy or sunny. The trails are often covered with sneaky roots guaranteed to make you trip. Sometimes there may be snow on the trails. Long wooden planks are installed over the wettest sections. The aid stations are few and far between (at Konttainen, Basecamp, Oulanka Visitor Centre, and Karhunkierros Visitor Centre at the Arctic Circle). Only the bravest (or craziest) runners will choose the full distance, as most are wise to choose one of the shorter challenges.

How to get there

There nearest airport is Kuusamo. You can also fly to Oulu or Rovaniemi. International flights are connected by Finnair via Helsinki. After the flight the Airport Bus will take you in 30 minutes to Ruka, where the race HQ and 166 km start/finish are located. There are plenty of accommodation options available in Ruka. You can also drive there yourself. There may also be special buses scheduled for the race leaving from Helsinki, Tampere or Oulu.

My 166 km race experience 2021

I've never attempted NUTS Karhunkierros 166 km before. I ran the 83 km (50 miles) in 2019 though. My main goal in 2021 is NUTS Distance 300 in July, so my race plan was scheduled accordingly. The aim was to go as slow as possible within the cut-off times to keep the heart in the lowest aerobic zone.

I tested a new thing for me nutritionally: no energy gels, no sports drinks and no coke. This seemed to work fine for me and might be useful in the forthcoming 200-miler. I got my energy intake mainly from my favorite vegan sweets and chocolates fortified with the aid station foods (bananas, mandarins, vegetable soup, chips, vegetarian pizzas, coffee, tea and non-alcoholic beer). There was no real reason except curiosity and creativity to try this. 

The weather was sunny or half-cloudy, but the temperature was cold 0-6 C (32-42F) with a biting Northern wind. The sun went below horizon for a couple of hours, but I was able to run with my sunglasses on, so I guess it didn't get too dark. My fingers felt frozen at night. I had to wear a merino wool shirt under my rain jacket and double gloves. Fellow competitors had seen a a mother bear with two cubs on the trail, but I missed them.

Photo: Elina Virkkunen

My pace was slow 7-26 min/km, as I was walking with poles a lot, basically all uphills and technical parts. I reached Konttainen in 1h 19min, Basecamp 3:42, Oulanka 9:08, Arctic Circle 14:43, Oulanka 21:14, Basecamp 29:15, Konttainen 33:00, and Finish 35:04. I spent plenty of time at aid stations as well: 2 mins + 8 + 25 + 40 + 24 + 10 + 10 = 2 hours total.

Juuso Simpanen won with a new course record 17 hours 29 minutes. He was really flying the course. 2x faster than me. The second finisher was over four hours slower than Juuso. The first woman to finish was Eija Keski-Säntti in 26:20.

I had so much fun all the time: admiring the magnificent scenery, chatting with or cheering other runners, seeing friends along the course. It was such an enjoyable experience I didn't want it to end so soon!

166 registered for the 166 km race, but only 133 started and 71 finished. Yours truly was that lucky 71st finisher. I was DFL, ie. Dead Fu(king Last. My only regret is that could have finished even slower, 55 minutes to be exact.

This year's event was slightly smaller than usual, only 1,700 runners compared to about 3,000 normally. Still this was much better than last year, when the event was cancelled. Starters were divided into groups of 50 runners or less and all were required to wear a face mask before and during the start. Everything seemed very smooth and safe. I have complete trust in the seasoned NUTS race organization lead by Eero Lumme. Those pros know how to handle any situation.

Photo: Elina Virkkunen

According to Garmin fenix 6X Pro Solar, my average heart rate was 112. Mission accomplished! I think that's the lowest I've ever recorded in any race. Although wrist-based HR measurements aren't always accurate, the low average over 35 hours should give some indication that my effort level was easy peasy.

Photo: Rami Valonen

I felt like I could have run another 100-miler. Soon, on July 12-17, I'll get to do just that. NUTS Distance 300 by Black Diamond boasts an unmarked 326-kilometer course in Lapland, through the greatest wilderness areas of Europe. Those 200+ miles will be hard as hell. But at least I know I have the best possible preparation under my belt: NUTS Karhunkierros 166 km!