Torch Relay Update -- Petrozavodsk Awaits the Flame

The Sochi Olympic torch relay continues Tuesday in Petrozavodsk, approximately 630 miles north of Moscow.

Overall, 66 torchbearers will carry the Olympic flame throughPetrozavodsk, including Russian weightlifting champion and kettlebell competitorMikhail Alexandrov.The city is known for its springs; there are more than 100 springs inPetrozavodsk. The Neglinka River also flows through the city.

Tuesday morning, the flame will visit the island of Kizhi on Lake Onega before it makes its way toPetrozavodsk.The relay route throughPetrozavodsk will stretch across approximately eight miles.

The flame toured Vologda on Sunday. 115 torchbearers participated in this stage of the torch relay.

The Olympic flame also arrived at the North Pole on Sunday.The flame was transported to the North Pole on a nuclear-powered icebreaker that left the Russian port of Murmansk on October 15.

On Wednesday, the relay will head south through Pryazha and Olonets. A combined nine torchbearers will participate in these stages of the torch relay.Pryazha is around 600 miles north of Moscow while Olonets is approximately 544 miles north of Moscow.

The flame will arrive in St. Petersburg on Sunday.St. Petersburg is the capital of the Leningrad region and the former capital of Russia. 257 torchbearers, including Russian pairs skaterElena Berezhnaya, track starNatalia Antyukh, and Russian footballerAleksandr Kerzhakov, will carry the flame through the city.St. Petersburg is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over one million.

Written by Nicole Bennett.

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