Teemu Virtanen will try to break the 24-hour skiing world record at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki in March. The current record is 472 kilometers. Virtanen is scheduled to start his quest on March 7th at 13:00 CET.

“My goal is to ski 480 kilometers. That means 20 kilometers per hour and about 1200 laps around the stadium. For the world record to be possible, my shape, the weather conditions, and the service team must work in unison. How well my body absorbs fluids on that day also plays a role,” Virtanen says in a press release.

To qualify for the Guinness World Records, a strict protocol is required, before and after the performance. There will be official monitors, the performance will be videoed, and the course must be measured to the nearest centimeter.

With Helsinki Ski Weeks, the Olympic Stadium will be a skiing arena for the whole nation in March in Finland, and the track will be open to all during Virtanen’s attempt. A special night skiing event will also take place at the stadium.

” It would be great to break the world record at the legendary Olympic Stadium on the home turf. It is easy for the crowd to come, and I hope there will be people cheering on the track,” said Virtanen.

Two classic tracks on the stadium will be reserved for Virtanen’s World Record attempt, which he will ski on double poling without a kick wax. Skis have to be changed every hour and a half, so the service team plays an important role in the attempt’s success.

“The lowest and hardest point is usually around the 16th hour when you have already been working for two full workdays. However, human capacity is incredible. When you think you are slowing down, you are only halfway there, and then you are back up and running again. In the end, if everything goes well, you get this flow state that helps you to keep going until the end,” says Virtanen.

The ideal weather for 24-hour skiing is a few minus degrees. Ideally, the previous night’s sub-zero temperatures would freeze the track. Virtanen hopes that the weather will not go to zero or warmer and that there will be no snow or sleet during the attempt.

If his attempt at the World Record is successful, Virtanen will become the first Finn to break the 24 hours skiing World Record at Helsinki’s legendary Olympic Stadium.

Read More: Virtanen Completed the 1000 Mile Rollerski Adventure – Hank-Utsjoki