Alisa Vainio started her marathon SE run at a really fast pace, but knew how to slow down to stay at a steady pace until the finish line.
Simo Arkko,
Matti Lehtisaari
19.2. 15:27•Updated 19.2. 18:07
Alisa Vainio was in a slightly confused mood after running the marathon women’s Finnish record in Seville. Vainio ran a time of 2:27:26 and thus undershot by 34 seconds Ritva Melenderin 2.28.00 of the former SE, which lasted almost 30 years.
Vainio improved his previous record he ran in December by one minute and 15 seconds.
– Haven’t had time to figure anything out yet. Overall, a really good feeling. Still feeling good, but we’ll see if it gets worse soon, Vainio told Urheilu about his mood.
Vainio opened the Seville marathon by running the first 10 kilometers briskly in 33:57. He knew that he had started hard and stated that it was necessary to slow down in order to have enough speed until the finish line.
– The beginning was quite fast, but I knew how to slow down and be on the run all the time. I felt strong all the time. There was no such clotting. I think I succeeded really well, Vainio said.
Breaking the Finnish record was a big milestone.
– It’s an incredibly great thing, even though the record has never been a big goal. I believe that I have opportunities to do better and of course many other Finnish runners do too, Vainio thought.
The Olympic limit in Paris was still a dream
Vainio was on pace for a long time on Sunday, even at the start of 2:26. The Olympic limit of 2:26:50 in Paris ended up being a dream, but Vainio was not upset about this at all.
– It didn’t hurt at this point. I believe I can do better and this was a big step from the previous one. I have been thinking that it is good to take such, if you can say, small steps. This was a big step for me.
However, Vainio, who finished tenth in the Seville race, broke the result limit of the World Championships in Budapest in August, which is 2:28:00.
Vainio didn’t set out to estimate how much of the record could still be squeezed out.
– I can’t say anything at this point. I have to go practice and competition at a time. We’ll see what happens, Vainio acknowledged.
Vainio had a great time on the route of the Seville marathon.
– I liked this route and this city. Overall, it was a meaningful feeling, the event was really nice, and there are no complaints, commented Vainio.
25-year-old Vainio told how he has structured his training.
– I have focused on making the training meaningful. Of course, I have been able to do marathon training for a long time, Vainio said.
Returned from competition last summer
Vainio became public in September 2015, when he ran the first marathon of his life in 2:33:24 and broke the Olympic limit in Rio. However, he could not participate in the Olympic marathon at that time due to his too young age.
In the 2019 World Championships, he ran the Doha marathon in harsh conditions and finished 26th. After that, Vainio was out of competition for a long time due to, among other things, leg injuries, and did not aim for a place in the Tokyo Olympics marathon.
In the summer of 2022, Vainio was 16th in the marathon of the World Championships in Oregon with a time of 2:30:29. He stopped the European Marathon in Munich. Vainio said after the EC marathon On Instagram (you will switch to another service) having noticed at ten kilometers that everything is not in order. Later, he was informed of the corona infection.
– I have not competed for a couple of years because of my own decision, and this season has brought me a lot of good things and reminded me that I like to compete especially for myself. No work is ever wasted and new opportunities will come, Vainio wrote at the time.