Who was Paavo Nurmi?
Nine-time Olympic Gold winner Paavo Nurmi is considered one of the greatest runners of all time. He was known as The King of Runners or the Flying Finn . Hero to all nationalities and famous all over the world, Nurmi became an unending source of national pride for the newly independent Finland. Paavo Nurmi had a burning will to success in life, and racing was his way to gain recognition from his fellow men and to fulfill the high standards he had set for himself. About the Run Located in the middle of the city, Burnaby Lake Regional Park is a stunning wildlife sanctuary. The lake was created by a glacier 12 000 years ago in the late 1800s. As you run be on the look out for great blue herons, bald eagles, belted kingfishers and osprey. You might even spot rarer birds such as the green-backed heron. For more information please visit www.midsumrun.com Or to register go to www.midsumrun.com/registration.html Directions The run will take place at Burnaby Lake Park (Please note this is not t
Nine-time Olympic Gold winner Paavo Nurmi is considered one of the greatest runner of all time. He was known as The King of Runners or the Flying Finn. Hero to all nationalities and famous all over the world, Nurmi became an unending source of national pride for the newly independent Finland. Paavo Nurmi had a burning will to succeed in life, and racing was his way to gain recognition from his fellow men and to fulfill the high standards he had set for himself.
The man known as the “Flying Finn,” the most celebrated distance runner of the 20th century, was 26 when his statue was erected in a park in Helsinki. (Which means, since Michael Phelps is 23, the city of Baltimore has three years to do the same for its favorite son). In his 10 best seasons, Nurmi would break, or equal, every world record in distances from one mile to six miles. There would come the day when he’d set a record for running the longest distance in one hour: 11 miles, 1,648 yards. Nurmi was 12 when his father died, forcing him to quit school, forcing him to become an errand boy, pushing a wheelbarrow through the streets of Helsinki. He would soon be running through Finland’s black pine forests on his way to international fame. Before the Games of ’32 in Los Angeles, Nurmi was training to try for the gold medal in the marathon, the only Olympic distance run he had never entered, when he was disqualified for being a professional. Finland went into mourning. When Helsinki hos
