Lappe Nordic 24 Hour Relay Records

In the spring of 1996 Thunder Bay's National Team Development Centre coach Pekka Kemppi decided to challenge himself... how far could he could ski in 24 hours. He managed a distance of 350Km after about 22 hours of skiing, using classic technique the entire time. Pekka undoubtedly had some thoughts of matching the world record of 415.5Km set by Finnish countryman Seppo-Juhani Savolainen in Sarriselk, Finland on April 8-9, 1988.

Instead of attempting the feat again, Pekka suggested a team format for 1997, and the 24 Hour Relay was born.

Following are some of Lappe's 24 Hour records that have been achieved since. Pekka's 1996 effort is not included in these records since the event was not yet 'official'.

The distances recorded in the Lappe 24 Hour Relay are exact. A shotgun blast signals the end of the event at exactly 24:00:00. Skiers stop where they are on the ski course (typically a 4.2Km loop) and wait for a course marshall to mark the location. This allows for the exact distance skied to be determined. This is in contrast to some other 24 hour events where participants can travel beyond 24 hours by starting their last lap before the 24 hour mark.

Open Team - up to 12 skiers - The 500K Club

Four Person Team - 450K Club

All-Female Team

Mixed Pair (male/female)

Duo

Solo

World Record Male: New! 433.459 km (269.34 miles) by Teemu Virtanen (Finland) at Kuortane, Finland, on 16-17 November 2010.
Formerly 415.5 km - Seppo-Juhani Savolainen April 8-9, 1988 in Sarriselk, Finland
World Record Female: 333 km - Kamila Horakova (Czech Republic) April 12-13, 2000 at the Canmore Nordic Centre

Fastest Lap (4.3K loop to 2009, 4.27K from 2011)