First, the husband carried me to the medical tent, then to the car, and then to the shower at home.
– Yes, that’s what happened. I gave it my all. There was nothing left to take home.
Noora Honkala31, the legs could not carry, and no wonder.
She had just broken a six-year-old women’s course record in the king of ultrarunning, the 246-kilometer Spartathlon, by a crushing margin.
In the race that started on the last day of September and ended on the first of October, Honkala’s final time was 23 hours, 23 minutes and 2 seconds.
Also Fairy tale Lipiäinen, 28, broke the old course record with a time of 23:48:36. However, Honkala was second and Lipiäinen third, while the U.S Camille Herron made it even better by clocking an unfathomable 22:35:31.
When the men’s race is included, Honkala was the fourth best of the whole group and Lipiäinen was eighth.
The iconic Spartathlon goes back to the battle of Marathon 490 years before the beginning of time. The Athenians clashed with the Persians. At stake was the future of Hellenism, Greek philosophy, science and art. The threat was barbarians and Asian supremacy.
According to legend, the Athenians sent a messenger, Pheidippides, to seek help from the Spartans. Pheidippides got there the day after he left.
In the fall of 1982, a British Air Force officer and a strong endurance runner arrived in Greece John Foden, who wanted to test whether it is really possible to get from Athens to Sparti in that time. It took Foden 36 hours, my colleague half an hour less. They felt they had proven Herodotus’ story to be true.
Foden gave birth to the idea of the legendary story of a race following the route. Already in 1983 there was a competition, with 45 runners.
The current maximum number of participants in the annual Spartathlon is 390. Applicants had to prove their ability as ultra runners. If there are more applicants who meet the criteria, the competition organizers will hold a draw.
The main tools
Noora Honkala has lived in Greece for six years, actually only about 50 kilometers from the city of Sparti, where the Spartathlon ends.
This week, however, he visited Finland. Honkala went to donate the equipment of its latest Spartathlon to the Sports Museum. He also visited Ylen’s Puoli seven program.
Honkala presented his equipment, such as his shoes, bib and number tag.
Honkala competed in the last Spartathlon with the number 288. Behind the number plate, there was quite a bit of code language, or a treasure map, as described in the program.
The map consisting of different numbers and colors is not mandatory, but it helps Honkala to know at which service stations her own service bags are and at which service stations her father and husband are helping.
– You have to be with the cart all the time so that you remember to take the equipment that is important to you.
Honkala does enough running-in for his shoes to know that they work. He doesn’t change his shoes in the middle of the race, but many others do.
– It’s a well-proven way to give the leg a different stimulus.
Noora Honkala also visited morning in October 2023. She had finished second in the women’s race in the Spartathlon.
The special brutality of the race
The Spartahtlon is the most prestigious event in ultra running, a true royal journey.
What makes Spartathlon special are the often prevailing harsh conditions, significant height differences and even surprising challenges.
In ultra running, marathons are run, i.e. distances longer than 42 kilometers. There are two types of competition. Either you run from point A to point B or you try to run as far as possible in, for example, 12 or 24 hours.
In the latter form of competition, a specific, short route or even a 400-meter running track is usually covered, in which case service points are available all the time.
Honkala holds the Finnish record for a 24-hour run: 246.496 kilometers. The world record is 270.1 kilometers by Camille Herron.
Satu Lipiäinen, who used to run track and road races, was amazed to HS how he had been afraid when he was walking alone in pitch darkness on a winery, when suddenly on both sides of the road “some wolf or similar pack started howling”.
– For me, it’s more exciting, I like to throw myself into it. It’s a different experience, Honkala compares Spartathlon to cycling shorter routes.
Last fall’s track record breaking was made possible by optimal conditions. Sometimes the runners have been scorching in the 40 degree heat, but now the temperature stayed closer to 20 degrees. Water rain or bad wind were not an obstacle either.
In addition, Spartathlon has one more special feature. The maximum time is 36 hours.
– It makes the race pretty brutal. There are also cut-off points in the race, which means you have to be at the service point at a certain time or you will be flagged out of the race.
Honkala covered the first 144 kilometers in about 12 hours. That means a five-minute kilometer pace. In that time, Honkala would have reached 10th place on the world’s all-time list in a 12-hour run – but we were only halfway there.
Success doesn’t look at age
Honkala ran her first Spartathlon in 2014, at the age of 22. The time was 35 hours and 30 minutes. She is still the youngest woman in history to have made it through the race.
– I remember the atmosphere when I wasn’t sure if I was on time at the intermediate point. Fatigue was already weighing on me. 36 hours is quite a lot longer than 23 hours.
The race starts at 7 in the morning. When Honkala ran the race in his record time, just over 23 hours, he reached the finish line in the dark. When the race lasts 36 hours, the ordeal is completely different.
– Then you still run the next day and it might be hot again. You’ve already suffered one hot day, you have to suffer another.
Noora Honkala already competed in ultra runs at the age of 20. He and Satu Lipiäinen are still young in the sport. It’s about a sport where the age of being at the top is very individual.
– Many +40-year-olds are on top of the world. When you think about my own career, for example, it’s a wonderful thought that I could continue for another 10 years, if only I manage to do it in moderation and not exhaust myself.
The USA’s Camille Herron, 42, who won the women’s race with the fastest time ever, is the world’s best in Honkala’s papers.
– A really inspiring person. She actually said that now that she’s going through her pre-menopausal years, she feels like she’s only getting better. That’s really empowering to hear as a female athlete.
Dream life every day
In the Half-past seven program, it became clear that Honkala also loves dogs
In Greece, Honkalan and her husband Sami Vaskolan two rescue dogs, Buga Buga and Lilu, live at home.
Lilu was found in a fenced olive grove, nothing in the middle. The dog was so weak that it could not walk. Honkala noticed this during her run.
– I was totally amazed, how on earth such a small dog was left here. However, it was someone’s property, so I must have broken some laws here, but I thought it couldn’t go like this.
– I went home and told Sam what I had seen. Then I stated that I won’t even ask for permission, I’ll take a car from there and then I’ll break in there. Well, I didn’t break in, I went through the gate and got the dog. I think it was a civic duty.
Vaskola, on the other hand, found a whole litter in a garbage dump on her own run in 40 degree heat. All of them moved to the care of a Finnish couple, and finally homes were found for them, except for Buga Buga.
– Buga Buga hid from the applicants under the bed, that he is not going anywhere now.
When Urheiluruutu did a story about Honkala in 2017, he lived in Finland and worked at raksa. Even then, the woman who was at the top of the world dreamed of becoming a professional runner.
Soon the dreams came true, thanks especially to the partners.
– I am still on that path. Honestly, everyday I live my dream, this is my thing and I’m really happy about it.
Finns are used to Greece as a holiday destination, but Honkala lives in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by jackals and wild boars. The couple built their Greek home on the coast of southern Greece, in Skoutari.
– It’s exciting when you go from the hustle and bustle of Finland to Greece, you really hear what silence is. It’s amazing, and at the same time you can see the starry sky when there’s no light pollution, you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Greece is one of the big countries of ultra running, already because of Spartathlon. Many other competitions are organized in the country and endurance running is valued.
– Yes, the village already knows what this Finnish girl is doing. No more wondering why I’m jogging in the midday heat or why you can find me alone on a mountaintop.
Of course, her husband has played a particularly important role in Honkala’s career, in many roles. The wonderful Spartathlon atmosphere described by Sami Vaskola was also shown in the Half Seven episode.
In addition to the great performance in the running competition, Honkala’s big days last year included a wedding day. The wedding was celebrated in Sammati, which is now part of the city of Lohja. Honkala spent her childhood there.
– It is the place of my heart. I always say to Sam that when we are old, wouldn’t it be possible to live in Sammati too.
Below you can watch the entire episode of the Half Seven program, where Noora Honkala was a guest.