The Raate Marathon is run on the Raate road, known from the legendary Winter War battles, from the border zone to Suomussalmi municipal center. The historic marathon route includes several Winter War battlefields and monuments. The purpose of the Raate Marathon is to honor the generation of veterans who fought for independent Finland in the battles of Raate Road and to cherish the history of Raate Road. In addition to the Raate Marathon, you can choose 21,1 km or 10 km as running distances. For kids, there will be one mile long Kids Hippomarathon.

The march is meant to be an event for the whole family. By organizing the march, we want to honor the work and sacrifices of veterans to preserve our country’s independence. This is also how we want to cherish and preserve the legacy of veterans. The purpose of the march is not to idealize war, but to tell about its insanity. The length of the march is 18 km, from beginning to the end of Raatte road, on a low-traffic gravel road, and there are service points along the route. The march can be completed by running, jogging, walking or cycling.