Kainuu Trail offers free race buses for participants arriving from Kajaani on race day, Saturday, June 28, 2025!
Published: 14.03.2025
Kainuu Trail Hossa National Park (Finland) offers free race buses for participants arriving from Kajaani on race day, Saturday, June 28, 2025! These free bus services are especially suitable for runners participating in the 55 km, 38 km, 21 km, and 10 km distances.
– Since the beginning of the event, Kainuu Orienteering Week association has aimed to organize a trail running event in Hossa National Park as responsibly as possible, says Jukka Liuha, Secretary General of Kainuu Orienteering Week a and Race Director of Kainuu Trail. According to Liuha, this year the organization wants to explore whether there is demand for bus transportation to the Kainuu Trail event.
– Our main goal is to reduce the number of private cars arriving at the event and to encourage local residents from Kainuu and Kajaani to participate in trail running, Liuha summarizes. These free bus services also provide a convenient option for participants traveling alone or in pairs.
– In previous years, we have offered paid bus services on the Kajaani–Hossa and Ruka–Kuusamo–Hossa routes, but the demand has been surprisingly low. For example, last year only 5–10 people booked tickets for these buses, even though we had a record 545 registered participants, Liuha explains. He adds that although the bus tickets for this year were reasonably priced (20–25 € round trip), they have not been selling well either.
Free Race Buses on June 28, 2025
The organizer will provide three free bus services departing from Kajaani Travel Center on the morning of race day:
Race Bus 1 (round trip)
- Departure: 04:00 (Kajaani Travel Center)
- Route: Kajaani–Vuokatti–Ristijärvi–Hyrynsalmi–Suomussalmi–Hossa
- For: 55 km, 38 km, 21 km, and 10 km runners
Race Bus 2 (round trip)
- Departure: 05:45 (Kajaani Travel Center)
- Route: Kajaani–Ristijärvi–Hyrynsalmi–Suomussalmi–Hossa
- For: 38 km, 21 km, and 10 km runners
Race Bus 3 (round trip)
- Departure: 06:30 (Kajaani Travel Center)
- Route: Kajaani–Ristijärvi–Hyrynsalmi–Suomussalmi–Hossa
- For: 38 km, 21 km, and 10 km runners
Note! Race Bus 2 has previously been available for purchase. Participants who have already bought a ticket for this bus will retain their seats, and the organizer will refund their ticket fees.
The Ruka–Kuusamo–Hossa bus route is still available for purchase through the Kainuu Trail online store and registration service. According to Liuha, the organization is unfortunately unable to provide the same level of financial support for this route as for the Kajaani-based services.
New Route from Kajaani via Vuokatti
A new route for 2025 has been added: Kajaani–Vuokatti–Ristijärvi–Hyrynsalmi–Suomussalmi–Hossa, which will make it easier for participants coming from the Vuokatti region to join the trail running event.
Free bus tickets will be available for reservation in early April 2025, with approximately 50 seats per bus.
You can reserve your free bus tickets for Kainuu Trail via the Kainuu Orienteering Week website: www.rastiviikko.fi → About KOW → Projects
