Jari Salonen and Melissa Teeple shake hands in front of the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock, Wisconsin (© Paavo Nurmi Marathon, Wisconsin)
Today hundreds of runners will take part in the traditional Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley, Wisconsin, USA.
There are only 1500 inhabitants in Hurley but today the population is maybe doubled because of the beloved event organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Hurley.
USA’s Paavo Nurmi Marathon was the first heritage marathon named after one of the greatest runners of all time, Paavo Nurmi of Finland (1897–1973).
The enthusiasm was high from the beginning, when the first Paavo Nurmi Marathon was run from Upson to Hurley, Wisconsin, in 1969.
The Finnish runner Nurmi won 12 Olympic medals across three Olympic Games. In the USA, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan are among the strongest areas of Finnish Americans, so the people there want to hold ties to the old homeland Finland. Running ‘The Paavo’ is one way of preserving the tradition, as the Flying Finns were famous for their grit and ‘sisu’.
In 1969, the first winner Jay Dirksen, 24, from Brookings, with a time of 2:32:40, started a rich tradition of this heritage marathon in Hurley. Ten-time winner Ben Schneider is the runner with the most victories. Mary Bange won seven women’s races in a row.
Olympian Lucian Rosa wins the Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley in 1973 with an event record (© Paavo Nurmi Marathon, Wisconsin)
In Turku, Finland, Nurmi’s hometown, the World Masters Championships in 1991 was the major impetus. The following year, Turun Urheiluliitto, the sports club of Nurmi, decided to start their own Paavo Nurmi Marathon after the late Paavo Nurmi’s son Matti Nurmi gave permission.
The following year in 1992, the first Paavo Nurmi Marathon was staged in Turku. It was organised by the late Pirkko Martin, who passed away only a couple of weeks ago, the general secretary of the event from 1992–2001.
This year the event takes place from 15 to 16 August with about 5000 runners. 1000 of them will run the full marathon.
On Monday 4 August 2025, the two signature marathons shook hands for the first time. This happened symbolically in front of the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock, Michigan, two hours away from Hurley.
Only some hours before, the promoters of the two Paavo Nurmi Marathons, Melissa Teeple of Hurley and Jari Salonen of Turku, had met for the first time and discussed of their visions and future cooperation at the Chamber of Commerce of Hurley. The office is situated by the finish line of ‘The Paavo’ in the centre of Hurley.
There is a large commemorative street plaque in Hurley, which impressed the promoter of the Turku Paavo Nurmi Marathon. Salonen said that it would be something to also aim for in Turku.
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon street plaque in Hurley, Wisconsin (© Paavo Nurmi Marathon, Wisconsin)
The heritage of Nurmi, celebrated through The Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley, Wisconsin, and The Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Turku, Finland, remains a legacy to cherish.
In this respect, a new English book by Finnish author and former sports journalist Kalle Virtapohja, Phantom Finn: The Contradictory Story of Paavo Nurmi in the Land of Dollars (PN Turku, 2025) explores Nurmi’s legendary 1925 tour across the US and Canada.
During that demanding campaign, Nurmi created his fame by breaking records whenever he wanted. 40 world records, official and unofficial, were set during those 53 races in 1925.
Virtapohja, author of two Finnish books on Nurmi (2017, 2024), and one on the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, now brings his expertise to English readers.
The Paavo Nurmi Marathon Turku for World Athletics Heritage
