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 Saariselka, 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 10 skiers – The 500K Club

TeamYear  Distance (Km)
NTDC
Mike Somppi
Luke Viljakainen
Harry Seaton
Jesse Winter
2009556.4
Lappe and One Wannabe
Steve Hart
Timo Puiras
Paul Inkila
Evan Palmer-Charrette
Jeff Budner
Jeff Cameron
2011544.6
Mister Big
Eric Bailey
Cory Berg
Timo Puiras
Phil Brown
Chris Butler
Kevin Paradis
Joel Gerry
Gabe Viljakainen
2009523.2
NTDC
Kerrie Fabius
Tara Redpath
Timo Puiras
Riku Metsaranta
Will Fitzgerald
Sean Crooks
Jeff Seguin
2002517.4
NTDC
Megan McTavish
Karla Mika
Chad Yurick
Dan Roycroft
Karl Saidla
Lee Churchill
Mark Tierney
Steve Bursey
1999516.8
Crusty Old Guys + Becky (aka the Lappe 6)
Werner Schwar
Paul Inkila
Timo Puiras
Becky Puiras
Riku Metsaranta
Brian Berry
2006513.3
Lappe 6
Timo Tikka
Peter Myllymaa
Paul Inkila
Juha Metsaranta
Craig Storey
Derek Maepea
1998511.7
NTDC
Kerrie Fabius
Skeets Morel
Stephen Hart
Jeff Seguin
Mallory Deyne
Eric Bailey
2005508.8
Raha Joukkue
Angus Foster
Katherine Stewat-Jones
Sadie White
Julian Smith
Mia Serratore
Sam Greer
Scott Hill
2016505.8
Wed Night Warriors
Will Fitzgerald
Riku Metsaranta
Paul Inkila
Jeff Moustgaard
Werner Schwar
2004500.6

Four Person Team – 450K Club

TeamYearDistance (Km)
NTDC
Mike Somppi
Luke Viljakainen
Harry Seaton
Jesse Winter
2009556.4
Triple Nelson & May
Brian May
Dave Nelson
Grant Nelson
Per Nelson
2002492.9
Money Team
Evan Palmer-Charrette
Andy Shields
Graham Ritchie
Julian Smith
2018490.4
NTDC
Angus Foster
Pierre Grall-Johnson
Levi Nadlersmith
Conor McGovern
2018486.4
Manopause & Todd
Paul Inkila
Werner Schwar
Brian Berry
Todd Inkila
2008467.4
NTDC
Pekka Kemppi
Werner Schwar
Chad Yurich
Martin Bojesen
1997454.4

All-Female Team

TeamYearDistance (Km)
Ms Big Thunder-52009478.7

Mixed Pair (male/female)

TeamYearDistance (Km)
The Solicited Galavanters
Jennifer Jackson
Andy Shields
2014455.0
Omituiset
Becky Laakso
Timo Puiras
2004447.2
Fast & Faster
Kerrie Fabius
Jeff Seguin
2004432.8
II
Neety Panu
Juha Metsaranta
2002382.2

Duo

TeamYearDistance (Km)
Werner Schwar
Paul Inkila
2009425.7

Solo

Male (300K+)YearDistance (Km)
Werner Schwar2005407.8
Jussi Piirainen2004387.5
Jeff Cameron2005354.6
Werner Schwar2001315.7
Christian Byar2018310.0
Jeff Lewis1999305.3
Female (225K+)
Kelly Henry2009284.8
Nancy Viljakainen2005265.9
Kelly Henry2008265.0
Becky Laakso2002252.5
Nancy Viljakainen2004234.2

12 & 6 Hour Records (added in 2013)

12 Hour Open Team Year  Distance (Km)
Mad Moose2015

225.68

12 Solo MaleYearDistance (Km)

Michael Somppi

2016

201.02

12 Solo FemaleYearDistance (Km)

Becky Puiras

2014

163.99

6 Hour Open TeamYearDistance (Km)

Team PED

2016

117.38

6 Hour Female TeamYearDistance (Km)

NDC Ladies

2013

89.93

6 Hour Male SoloYear Distance (Km)

Fergus Foster

 2018

 94.66

6 Hour Female SoloYearDistance (Km)
Sarah Peters201698.12

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 Saariselka, 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)

YearNameTimeApprox. time of dayLap Length
2004Timo Puiras9m 51s2pm4.3
2005Riku Metsaranta10m 5.7s9am4.3
2006Adam Kates9m 35.9s9am4.3
2008Werner Schwar11m 29.3s5pm4.3
2009Mike Somppi (M)9m 36.5s9pm4.3
2009Karla Bailey (F)11m 13.6s8pm4.3
2011Steve Hart (M)9m 43.9sNoon (1st lap)4.27
2011Andrea Lee (F)11m 49.0s5pm4.27
2016Michael Somppi12m 16s11am (1st lap)5.29
2017Bob Thompson11m 46s4:25 am4.919
2018Julian Smith
Graham Ritchie
11m 48s3:01 pm
11:35 am (1st lap)
4.919