Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational
Encyclopedia
The Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational, frequently shortened to Viren or the Viren 20K, is a 20 kilometre running
race held annually on the trails of Big Sycamore Canyon, part of the Point Mugu State Park
near Malibu, California.
sculptor and running guru Eino Romppanen, more frequently known as Eino, to honor his friend Lasse Virén
, who had just completed the 5 and 10 double double in the Olympics (winning both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres races in the 1972
and 1976 Olympics
). Viren had re-captured the Finnish tradition preceded by Hannes Kolehmainen
and Paavo Nurmi
of the "Flying Finn" which Eino wanted to celebrate.
1978 was a pivotal year in "amateur sports" in general and road running specifically. Over the previous years, athletes were revolting from the financial limitations of their amateur status. They wanted to be able to accept prize money openly. Following the 1972 Olympics, many elite track athletes created and ran in the professional International Track Association, which caused them to lose their Olympic eligibility. At the same time, millions of americans were enthused by Frank Shorter
's 1972 Olympic Marathon victory and were taking to running road races, a phenomenon known as the "Running Boom." By 1978, the athlete's revolt led to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978
, breaking the Amateur Athletic Union
's regulation of the collection of sports they had governed and the replacement governing body The Athletics Congress, as domestic representatives of the interests of the IAAF and IOC were resisting ways to open the door for professionalism against the tide of commercial interests who wanted capitalize on the popularity of the sport. In Road running
, a new organization called the "Association of Road Racing Athletes" (known as the ARRA) was formed to create a professional road racing circuit. Among the 6 charter events of the circuit was the Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational, offering $30,000 in prize money.
The prize money attracted a virtual who's who of elite road runners of the day, including Viren himself. In 1980, Norwegian Grete Waitz
ran the course in 1:14:48 and in 1981, an unheralded English college student, Adrian Royle
ran the course in 58:38, faster than the world record for the distance at the time. The fame of the race spread. Through the end of the 1980s, the race was one of the major running races on the circuit. The 1988 edition of the race was televised nationally on ESPN
. But competition from other events made the sponsorship dollars harder to get.
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
race held annually on the trails of Big Sycamore Canyon, part of the Point Mugu State Park
Point Mugu State Park
Point Mugu State Park is a state park located in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California. Part of the Western Santa Monica Mountains, the park is located at 9000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California. There is a fee-based parking lot that is open from 8...
near Malibu, California.
History
The race was started in 1977 by FinnishFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
sculptor and running guru Eino Romppanen, more frequently known as Eino, to honor his friend Lasse Virén
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...
, who had just completed the 5 and 10 double double in the Olympics (winning both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres races in the 1972
Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics
At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, 38 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 14 for women. There were a total number of 1324 participating athletes from 104 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:*...
and 1976 Olympics
Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics
At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, 37 events were contested in athletics. There were a total number of 1006 participating athletes from 80 countries.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:**...
). Viren had re-captured the Finnish tradition preceded by Hannes Kolehmainen
Hannes Kolehmainen
Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner. He is considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish long distance runners, often named the "Flying Finns". Kolehmainen competed for a number of years in the United States, wearing the Winged Fist of the Irish...
and Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...
of the "Flying Finn" which Eino wanted to celebrate.
1978 was a pivotal year in "amateur sports" in general and road running specifically. Over the previous years, athletes were revolting from the financial limitations of their amateur status. They wanted to be able to accept prize money openly. Following the 1972 Olympics, many elite track athletes created and ran in the professional International Track Association, which caused them to lose their Olympic eligibility. At the same time, millions of americans were enthused by Frank Shorter
Frank Shorter
Frank Charles Shorter is a former American long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Summer Olympics. His victory is credited with igniting the running boom in the United States of the 1970s....
's 1972 Olympic Marathon victory and were taking to running road races, a phenomenon known as the "Running Boom." By 1978, the athlete's revolt led to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978
Amateur Sports Act of 1978
The Amateur Sports Act of 1978, , establishes a United States Olympic Committee and provides for national governing bodies for each Olympic sport...
, breaking the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
's regulation of the collection of sports they had governed and the replacement governing body The Athletics Congress, as domestic representatives of the interests of the IAAF and IOC were resisting ways to open the door for professionalism against the tide of commercial interests who wanted capitalize on the popularity of the sport. In Road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, a new organization called the "Association of Road Racing Athletes" (known as the ARRA) was formed to create a professional road racing circuit. Among the 6 charter events of the circuit was the Lasse Viren Finnish Invitational, offering $30,000 in prize money.
The prize money attracted a virtual who's who of elite road runners of the day, including Viren himself. In 1980, Norwegian Grete Waitz
Grete Waitz
Grete Waitz was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. Waitz won nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988, more than any other runner in history...
ran the course in 1:14:48 and in 1981, an unheralded English college student, Adrian Royle
Adrian Royle
Adrian Royle is a retired English long distance runner born in Manchester. He is notable for running exceptional times on difficult courses, making race organizers think the course had been mis-measured.-Early life:...
ran the course in 58:38, faster than the world record for the distance at the time. The fame of the race spread. Through the end of the 1980s, the race was one of the major running races on the circuit. The 1988 edition of the race was televised nationally on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. But competition from other events made the sponsorship dollars harder to get.