Endurance Quest Saima. 14th Place, 30 Hours of Finnish Grit

James Williams – Team Nav4 Adventure Racing / 17.09.2025

It was always going to be tough. The ARWS European Championships in Finland promised a course that was both physically brutal and navigationally unforgiving — and it delivered. The title of European Champions went, deservedly, to the Finnish powerhouse Lane 4 Adventure Team, who mastered the terrain and the weather with trademark precision.

Prologue in the Sun, Race in the Rain

Savonlinna greeted us on Friday evening with a golden sunset over its island‑studded lakes — the kind of view that makes you forget you’re there to suffer. By Saturday morning, as we stepped off the bus at the start line outside the legendary Sulvaka Rowing Stadium, the rain began. I’m not sure it ever really stopped.

Our Nav4 team — Bonnie and I, joined by Estonian adventure racing veterans Sven “The Iceman” Liivand and the unflappable Hannes Luidalepp — were ready to go. Sven brought calm authority and years of experience; Hannes turned up with a 20‑year‑old rigid 26” bike and then proceeded to tow, run, and ride like a machine.

The race began with a swimrun but we had a quirky twist: an air‑mattress paddle to save energy for later. It looked like a beach holiday stunt, but it worked — we gained three or four places before hitting the water proper.

Into the Forest – Jukola Country

From there, we plunged into a navigationally intense forest stage set in terrain used for the legendary Jukola Relay — a bucket‑list event for any orienteer. The ground was a patchwork of soft moss and knee‑high lingonberry bushes, each fall cushioned by ripe berries. A surprise kit check from a roaming referee kept us on our toes.

We moved smoothly, holding position while other teams faltered in the complex terrain. It was a reminder that in AR, navigation is a skill you can’t bluff.

The Squirrel Route – Running and Canoeing

Next came a figure‑of‑eight run/canoe stage along part of the Sulkava–Juva “Squirrel Route”, a 57 km chain of lakes and waterways. One pair ran for checkpoints while the other paddled to a rendezvous, then we swapped. Sven and Hannes made good time in the first half, but low water levels turned sections into awkward portages. Stronger paddlers overhauled us, and we dropped four places.

No crayfish feast at the transition — just the knowledge that the bike leg awaited.

Map Mayhem and Gravel Miles

The organisers handed us 22 maps (20×A3, 2×A4) at scales from 1:4,000 to 1:30,000 — just 45 minutes before the start. My single 10 m roll of sticky‑back plastic only covered one set, so we carried 40 loose maps for the rest of the race. Some bike legs spanned three sheets, forcing constant stops to swap maps.

The riding was fast on hard‑packed gravel and forest roads, but the rolling countryside meant constant climbing. A short foot stage through a small Finnish town — complete with baseball field, athletics track, and a frisbee golf course — broke up what would otherwise have been a 130 km bike grind. Hot food from the local sports club was a welcome morale boost.

Night Riding and a Surprise MTBO

As darkness fell, fatigue set in. The 01:45 long trek cut‑off loomed, but the organisers threw in a night‑time MTBO stage — hilly, technical, and fun which threw many teams chances of missing the cutoff out the window. Narrow ski trails slowed some of us, but others relished the singletrack. Near the end, we crossed paths with Lane 4, who were finishing the long trek, told us it had taken five hours for 27 km. They were heading into a 32 km kayak, later shortened due to the weather — a relief for many.

Our own shortened trek meant missing some classic rocky Finnish terrain, but it kept us in the race.

Cold, Wet, and Closing In

Back in Savonlinna, the rain still fell. The final kayak and swimrun stage was a mental hurdle — you could feel the finish and everyone was cold, wet, and ready to be done. Once moving and warming up, though, spirits lifted. Hannes even suggested chasing extra checkpoints, but with the clock ticking, we chose the direct route to the finish.

Running through town with air mattresses drew bemused looks from locals — even in a country that embraces the outdoors, it’s not every day you see that.

The Rope Stage We Didn’t Climb

The last stage showcased Savonlinna’s best waterfront and historic spots. A 40 m rope climb and abseil loomed, but the queue was too long. It was the only place in the race I noticed mosquitoes.

Crossing the now‑iconic bridge to the finish with 19 minutes to spare, I wondered why I’d been so anxious that we would be late.

Reflections

Lane 4 were one of only six teams to complete the full course, earning their place at next year’s World Championships in France. For us, 14th overall felt like a victory — a scratch team that came together, learned on the fly, and shared the highs and lows of 30 hours in the Finnish wild.

Adventure racing, like orienteering, is about more than competition. It’s about the sense of adventure, the people you meet, and the places you’d never see otherwise. The names may fade, but the landscapes, the camaraderie, and the shared suffering last a lifetime.

We didn’t get to celebrate properly with Hannes and Sven — Bonnie and I had to dash to Helsinki — but a can of 0% beer at the finish tasted like champagne. Here’s to the community that makes races like this possible, and to the many Sven’s, Hannes’, and Bonnie’s out there keeping the spirit alive.

Results - https://www.endurancequest.org/_files/ugd/093a33_25c73cf5ee334279b85b351316ea88b1.pdf

GPS Tracking - https://www.tulospalvelu.fi/gps/2025eq/