The start of the Bright Equipment Lapland Arctic Ultra 2025 couldn’t have been better. After days of warm temperatures and a bit of a “snow shortage,” Mother Nature smiled upon us. On Sunday morning, we woke up to a fresh layer of snow. To top it off, it was cold enough for the trails to firm up, providing ideal conditions. Of course, the fresh snow did bring its own set of challenges, but it was a welcome change.
At 09:00, the Lapland Arctic Arena opened its doors to the public, with local businesses showcasing their products. Hot drinks and snacks were available for anyone who joined us. Following our start, we even had the Kids Lapland Arctic Ultra take place. The future is secured! A huge thank you to Linnea Bentzer-Waara, Överkalix Kommun, the local sponsors, and everyone else who supported this incredible project. It was truly exciting to see a busy start line filled with so many visitors.
We left Jockfall at 08:30 and made our way to the Grand Arctic Resort, arriving right on schedule. Just before the start, we gathered for our traditional group photo, and at 09:34, we kicked off the countdown for the 20 and 50 km races. Four minutes later, we watched the 185 and 500 km athletes begin their journey.
A special thanks to Hilding Cedering, who made it possible for us to offer hot drinks and snacks to the 20 and 50 km participants around the 9 km mark. Additionally, many volunteers from Rödupp came out to welcome everyone at the ice bridge in their community—our 20 km finish line.
Here are the overall results for the 20 km race:
1st
Liubov Boiko (Ukraine/Foot) – 2/3, 12:18 – 2h 44m
2nd
Martin Grebner (Germany/Foot) – 2/3, 12:19 – 2h 45m
3rd
Stéphane Brette (France/Foot) – 2/3, 12:57 – 3h 23m
4th
Peter Johansson (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 12:58 – 3h 24m
5th
Elin Larsgren (Sweden/Foot) – 2/3, 13:00 – 3h 26m
6th
Wiebke Sobirey (Germany/Foot) – 2/3, 13:01 – 3h 27m
7th
Ida Cedering (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 13:02 – 3h 28m
8th
Rickard Larsson (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 13:08 – 3h 34m
Moa Pahikka-Aho (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 13:08 – 3h 34m
Hulda Wirsen (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 13:08 – 3h 34m
Liubov Boiko from Ukraine crossing the 20km finish line just before Martin Grebner from Germany – Photography: Isak Sandling
At this stage, all the athletes were looking strong, although some were of course moving at a slower pace than others. However, so early into the race, speed was not the main focus. For the athletes it was all about finding the right rhythm, managing layers, avoiding early issues, and not overexerting themselves. The SSFA Team Fire & Ice struggled with their skis, but that didn’t stop them from making steady progress.
As they approached the spectacular Laxforsberget checkpoint, our crew was ready just in time to cheer on local fatbiker David Forsman, who was far ahead of the rest. Next came Jörgen Rokka, a highly experienced local skier, followed by another local skier, Anne Wennberg. After that, a steady stream of athletes reached the top, all incredibly happy to have conquered “our mountain.”
Andreas Vennberg from Överkalix at our Laxforsberget checkpoint – Photography: Isak Sandling
David Forsman was able to keep his high speed and finish first in the 50km. All other athletes who started in this distance also finished. They all did a great job – regardless of discipline, age or fitness level. But I do want to mention a few. First of all, David is so fast, he should really sign up for the 500 km and give record setting fatbiker Florian Reiterberger from Germany a “hard time” when he joins us again in the future. Jörgen Rokka actually started a long time after we all had left Överkalix. Seems he had thought that we start at 10:30. It did not bother him at all and he basically overtook everyone except David to finish in 2nd place overall. We were also all very impressed with local skier Anne Wemberg who was super fast. It was also amazing to see 12-year old Helga Cedering finish in a great time!
Congratulations to all finishers!
Here are the overall rankings for the 50 km race (Jockfall finish line):
1st
David Forsman (Sweden/Fatbike) – 2/3, 13:55; 4h 21min
2nd
Jörgen Rokka (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 15:05; 5h 31min
3rd
Anne Wennberg (Finland/Ski) – 2/3, 16:12; 6h 38min
4th
Signe Malmer (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 16:32; 6h 58min
Helena Forsman (Sweden/Ski) – 2/3, 16:32; 6h 58min
6th
Joris Simkens (Belgium/Foot) – 2/3, 16:40; 7h 6min
7th
Mateusz Milczarek (Sweden/Foot) – 2/3, 17:35; 8h 1min
8th
Elsa Rabou (France/Foot), 2/3, 17:45; 8h 11min
9th
Lucas Gater (England/Foot), 2/3, 18:10; 8h 36min
Simon Gater (England/Foot), 2/3, 18:10; 8h 36min
11th
Michael Dessagne (France/Foot), 2/3, 18:19; 8h 45min
12th
Matt Burgin (England/Foot), 2/3, 18:26; 8h 52min
13th
Rebecca Vaughan (England/Foot), 2/3, 18:34; 9h
Alan Cormack (Scotland/Foot), 2/3, 18:34; 9h
15th
Helga Cedering (Sweden/Ski), 2/3, 19:08; 9h 34min
16th
Jefferson Almeida (Brazil/Foot), 2/3, 20:20; 10h 46min
17th
Magdalena Allan (England/Foot), 2/3, 20:33; 10h 59min
18th
Alexander Bertuccioli (Italy/Foot), 2/3, 20:46; 11h 12min
Ervin Kapo (Italy/Foot), 2/3, 20:46; 11h 12min
20th
Frank Hojmark Enevoldsen (Denmark/Foot), 2/3, 22:05; 12h 31min
Morten Lund Jacobsen (Denmark/Foot), 2/3, 22:05; 12h 31 min