Lasse Virén, 64, is a former long-distance runner and a four time Olympic gold medalist. He won both the 5000 m and 10 000 m races in two consecutive Olympic Games, in 1972 in Munich and in 1976 in Montreal. Virén’s most legendary race is the 10 000 m race in the Munich Summer Olympics, where he tripped in the middle of the race, but got up and ran a new world record. Virén is one of the most successful athletes of all time in his native Finland.
We met Virén in his home and birthplace, the Finnish town of Myrskylä, where we asked him about his life nowadays and his thoughts about running.
How much do you run nowadays?
I run fairly seldom, I think I have been jogging once this year. Five or six years ago I injured my toe during the annual Lasse Viren Half Marathon running event and since then I have not been running that much. My hometown Myrskylä does have the best possible settings for running – very varying trails in stunning landscape. I have run on these trails my entire life.
What kind of environment do you like to run in?
My favourite trails are of course here in Myrskylä. In the summer running in the forest is great, in the autumn the gravel roads of the village are my favourite. This scenery keeps me relaxed and kilometres go by without noticing. I’ve always run on trails as much as possible and tried to avoid asphalt, although nowadays it is almost impossible to run without finding yourself on asphalt at some point. The only downside of the trails in Myrskylä is the lack of lit courses.
Do you have other hobbies?
I don’t do actual sports, but I work the clearing the forest in my free time, that’s my hobby. It’s good functional exercise.
Do you follow any young Finnish athletes’ careers?
I do follow the aspiring Finnish long and short distance runners. I am somewhat up to date on the current situation, although I do not exercise spectator sports passionately. I’ve been following for example the athletes who are currently on their way to the national team. I won’t mention names, though, as I don’t want to cause any pressure!
Although I don’t actively keep in contact with my old Finnish and international rivals, after my active career I have run into them occasionally in different events where they have been participating either as runners or as organizers.
Which mass running events have you participated in?
I’ve started more marathons than I have finished! In the 1990s I did still travel in different running events quite a lot – not necessarily as a competitor but as an invited visitor. My sponsors also arranged trips to different events. For example, the Finnish airline company Finnair sponsored me to New York Marathon on several occasions. In addition I participated in events such as Berlin Marathon, Paris Marathon, Melbourne Marathon, Fukuoka Marathon, Los Angeles Marathon and Honolulu Marathon. I have especially enjoyed the Honolulu Marathon, as it is always arranged in December and gives a chance to escape the brutal Finnish winter. Large running events that have been invested with a lot of money are impressive and well organized, but many smaller events are also great and have a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
I’ve also taken part in the Lasse Virén 20 K, an event named after me in Malibu, California. I ran there quite a few times in its early years, and if I remember it right I even won a couple of times. The event was founded by Finns and descendants of Finns in America, and has been organized until present-day. The event is actually very similar to the Lasse Viren Half Marathon here in Myrskylä.
Do people often come to you for running advice?
Not necessarily for advice, but people do ask about running in general. To give useful advice one needs to have a proper picture of the runner’s background – what they have done before, what their goals are and what they are prepared to do to achieve those goals. There is no simple or easy advice, but a general principle suitable for everyone is that regularity gives the best results. Regularity can mean exercising two, three or four times a week, depending on the person and their personal ambitions.
It’s great to see people exercise and set themselves goals. A goal for a runner can, for example, be a running event. A lot of people run in the same event every year, others visit several events for comparison. There are many runners also in Lasse Viren Half Marathon who have participated in the race year after year. Some of the most persistent runners were awarded in the race’s 40-year anniversary in 2013 – they had participated every single year since the start of the race tradition. One of them was my oldest brother, another was a man who had participated in his first Lasse Viren race when he was seven years old. They both received a commemorative running shirt with their names printed on.
Although I don’t personally have any ambitions in the sports field any more, I have followed some senior athletes who have rediscovered sports in their later years and are currently passionate athletes. It is admirable how hard they work and how great the results are they achieve.
What is your most important running memory?
I consider the Sweden-Finland internationals of 1969 one of the highlights of my career. It was my first time in the international games and it was a major event for a young man. It was around the beginning of my athletic career, and I won the gold medal for 5000 m.
The next Lasse Viren Half Marathon takes place on the 14th of September 2014 in Myrskylä, Finland. Sign up here!
