The Jukola Relay is an orienteering relay race held annually in Finland since 1949. The race always takes place on the third Saturday of June in different sites around Finland. The northernmost location has been 50 km north from the Arctic Circle. The name Jukola comes from the classic Finnish book - Seven Brothers.
In the Jukola male relay has seven legs with distances varying from 7 to 15 km. The starting time is at 11 pm at dusk. Runners of the 1st to 4th legs have to wear headlights, depending on the geographical site (north or south of Finland) of the relay and the weather conditions. The winning team crosses the finishing line early on Sunday morning, around 6 or 7 am, and the last teams finish just before the finish is closed at 2 pm.
For the ladies, an individual race with a common start was organized in 1951 and it was then turned into a four leg relay race in 1978. The women's relay, known as the Venla Relay, is a daytime race on Saturday afternoon.
In 2008 the Jukola Relay attracted over 1400 teams and the Venla Relay almost 1000. Clubs from 20 different countries took part.
Association "Kaukametsäläiset" is the founder of the Jukola Relay and it is also the owner of the rights of Jukola event.
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