NUTS Karhunkierros Trail Ultra
NUTS Karhunkierros 34 km
Juuma (Kuusamo) → Ruka (Kuusamo)
Race guide
Updated 28 July 2026
NUTS Karhunkierros 34 km covers the most scenic third of the Karhunkierros: away from the village of Juuma at 10:00 on Saturday, finishing in the Ruka pedestrian village. The measured course is 35.5 km with 915 m of climbing, a high point of 492 m and a low of 175 m. It runs through the Myllykoski and Jyrävä gorges, across suspension bridges and up over Konttainen and Valtavaara before dropping into Ruka. The daytime start makes this the most approachable of the event's long distances.
The course
The opening from Juuma is the best-known scenery on the whole Karhunkierros: rapids, suspension bridges, staircases and narrow canyon trail. It is slow ground, where the clock moves faster than the kilometres. After Basecamp at 10.5 km the trail settles into forest running, and the final 7.3 km from Konttainen at 28.2 km climb over the fells. Most of the 915 m of gain arrives in the second half of the race.
Where the race is decided
On the Konttainen climb. The technical opening tempts runners into spending energy on care and staircases, and many arrive at Basecamp happy with their pace but already tired in the legs. Konttainen is followed by Valtavaara, and that is where a target time either holds or does not. Restraint in the first ten kilometres pays for itself in the last ten.
Pacing and fuelling
Aid stations sit at Basecamp (10.5 km) and Konttainen (28.2 km). The 17.7 km between them is the longest self-supported stretch on this distance — two to three hours for most runners. There is no water point at the start in Juuma, so fill up beforehand. From Konttainen it is 7.3 km to the finish, comfortably run on a single flask.
Cut-offs and aid stations
The overall limit is 10 hours, so the finish closes at 20:00 on Saturday, with an intermediate cut-off at Konttainen at 7 hours (17:00). The Konttainen cut-off is what really shapes the race: 28.2 km in seven hours is comfortable for a fit runner, but the technical opening consumes more time than expected, and arriving near the limit means climbing the final fells in a hurry.
Weather and kit
Late May weather in Kuusamo swings from warm sun to cold rain. The staircases and boardwalk through the gorges are slippery when wet, and wind is noticeable on the open slopes of Konttainen and Valtavaara. A light waterproof is worth carrying even from a sunny start.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
⚠ Auto-researched from public sources — aid stations and cut-offs may be incomplete. Confirm against the official roadbook before race day.
0 km · 230 m · —
10.5 km · 239 m · —
28.2 km · 328 m · Sat 17:00
35.5 km · 358 m · Sat 20:00
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Course data researched from public sources — verify against the official roadbook.