Peyman Almar and Sailor (who goes by only her first name) have completed the third leg of their bold 5athlon venture. The Finnish pair began their five-sport odyssey from the North Cape in Norway on January 27, 2025. They aim to ski, run, swim, cycle, and sail to South Africa by 2027.
So far, they’ve covered 1,600km of the 30,000km route. They started by skiing 750km from North Cape in Norway to Rovaniemi in Finland, followed by a 950km run across Finland. Yesterday, after eight days in the water, they completed their 100km swim across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia. Next up, they will cycle to Greece.
The swim is the section they worried about most. Though both swam when they were younger, they did not do a huge amount of training in the lead-up to the challenge. Luckily, their test swim — the day before starting — immediately put them at ease. As Almar got out of the water, he exclaimed, “That was easy! That was so much fun!’
Photo: Nomads Trails
Took turns swimming
Unlike other sections, which they completed side by side, this leg was completed as a relay. They took turns swimming and resting on the safety boat. The fifth and sixth days were the hardest because they had no tailwind. Instead, the wind hit them from the side, creating choppier water.
Finding a safety vessel was a stressful task. After arriving in Helsinki, they only had 10 days to find a safety boat and two drivers before they started the swim. Many who followed their journey made negative comments about this, suggesting the apparent lack of organization meant they were not taking their safety seriously.
However, in the lead-up to the swim, they had spoken to the owners of several safety vessels, and none were willing to sign on since the pair could not commit to an exact start date until they arrived in Helsinki. Luckily, they managed to secure a vessel at the last minute.
Photo: Nomads Trails
The swimming section is by far the shortest of their journey. They spent over three months skiing and another three months running. Both those early sections had their challenges.
The skiing section
Skiing across Norway in January and February means dealing with cold and wind. Dragging 50kg sleds, they sometimes had to stay in their tent or in villages until bad weather passed. Then they encountered sections with almost no snow and had to create makeshift trailers for their sleds. Other areas had such deep, soft snow that they could barely move.
Photo: Nomads Trails
The running section
Running presented them with different problems. It was unseasonably warm in Finland. Both ran with 45kg trailers carrying their equipment, water, and food. Although they stopped in various places to resupply, they didn’t have a support team except for the swim.
They ran 10km to 40km each day, depending on terrain and weather. In June, Almar suffered a knee injury, and then, at the start of July, the blisters on Sailor’s toes became infected, so some walking was necessary.
The pair are keen runners in everyday life, so they felt quite comfortable with this leg of the trip. As with earlier sections, Sailor joins for two-week sections but returns home intermittently for work commitments. During these times, Almar continues on his own.
It is no surprise that they have gained a number of followers and fans, especially in their home country of Finland. Several runners came out and joined them for their last day of the run.
Now in Tallinn, the pair are taking a few days to rest, prepare their bikes, and double-check their routes before they start pedaling to Greece on September 4.
