The people of Joensuu dominate the raw endurance sport in Finland, is one of the reasons the North Karelian character?

On the weekend, broadcasts the athletics Kaleva competitions on TV2, Areena and Puhee.

JOENSUU. Joensuu Katajan Mika Kotiranta whining. The home crowd is excited, and the fact that a teammate adds to the boost Arttu Vattulainen lead the race. The men’s 10,000 meters final of the Kaleva Games is underway.

At the end, Kotiranta rises to victory with a hard fight and washes away the others. The first Finnish championship as a reward.

Kotiranta’s tactics were like that of Joensuu Kataja’s icon Jukka Keskisalon from the textbook. Keskisalo won several competitions with a somewhat similar style – with a quick start and a hard finish – including the European championship in the 3,000-meter hurdles in 2006.

Kotiranta admits that Keskisalo’s races have once been closely watched.

– Juka’s and also Mati’s runs have become smaller and much more followed. It has given additional power.

Kotiranta refers in addition to Keskisalo Matti Räsänenalso to Joensuu Kataja’s former top runner.

On Friday, Kotiranta won the SM gold in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 30:02.27. Watch the last round in the video. The story continues after the video.

The 22-year-old Kotiranna has enough idols in Joensuu to follow from the stands. This year, Kotiranta has even managed to overtake some of his role models at 5,000 meters. Kotiranta has been running according to European standards for quite some time now, 13:40.67.

– Yes, it feels great to get past the role models. When I was little, I couldn’t think that something like this would be possible. It’s great that I can continue this Joensuu tradition, says Kotiranta.

Over the past 20 years, Joensuu’s Kataja have become Finland’s toughest runners in the men’s 5,000 meters. There are four Kataja runners among the five.

Why do Joensuu become such hard endurance runners for long track distances?

Keskisalo, Kotiranta, Räsäse and Vattulainen have a common factor, says the coach of Vattulai and Kotiranta Tuomo Lehtinenwho once moved to Joensuu after coaching jobs.

– They are even-tempered, very goal-oriented and calm guys. They are persistent, able to work alone and enjoy what they do. There is something similar in their nature, Lehtinen underlines.

The training conditions are also exceptionally good for endurance running in Joensuu. Lehtinen, Vattulainen and Kotiranta are glowing about them.

Vattulainen, who is aiming for the European Marathon in Munich, highlights the training hall, whose running track is exceptionally long for indoor spaces in Finland: 320 meters.

– It’s a great hall for winter time. We have invested in training conditions here.

The terrains of North Karelia also receive praise.

– There are good jogging routes here, Kotiranta answers.

– The terrains are really good and versatile, even inspiring. They have their own effect, says Lehtinen.

Examples also have a big impact. Vattulainen says that he got a big spark to run from Jukka Keskisalo.

– The influence of role models is great. Endurance running is no longer a mass sport in Finland, so the importance of individual personalities plays a big role. We also practice a lot in a group, but the influence of role models is more visible. I have seen up close what professional training is, says Vattulainen.

According to Lehtinen, the new knee is continuing. Kotiranta has already been a mentor to the 16-year-old Eemeli Hirvonewho took part in the European Youth Championships in the summer at 1,500 meters.

Hirvonen is also under Lehtinen’s coaching.

– Tuomo is really professional. He knows what he is doing and if there are questions, Tuomo always has time. He plans the training programs very precisely, Kotiranta describes his coach.

Kotiranta has developed in big steps this season. The man from Joensuu has cut more than half a minute from the 5,000 meter record from last season.

Just a year ago, Kotiranta was just one challenger among others, now the man is on display at the Kaleva Games.

– We’ve been training really sparingly. Mika’s physical development came a little late. After the military year, this has been the first real training year. If there are more good training years, I believe in the times starting at 1:20 p.m. in the 5,000 meters, says Lehtinen.

According to Lehtinen, Kotiranta should then run 1,500 meters under 3:40. The record run at Kotiranta this summer is 3:46.55.

The main distance of Kotiranta may still be 10,000 meters in the future. 25 track laps.

– In my eyes, Mika is a perfect 10,000 meter runner, absolutely perfect for that distance in terms of body structure. The endurance features are still not enough for him in his twenties. When the speed endurance base is added, we can talk about times of 28 minutes or even less. It’s a great dream for Mika, Lehtinen emphasizes.

Among the Joensuu men, Arttu Vattulainen has run 10,000 meters in 28:48, Matti Räsänen in 28:25.

At 5,000 meters, Kotiranta is already ahead of the duo. He doesn’t speculate on how hard he could run in the future. However, there is room to spare.

– If the exercises go well and there are no injuries, I can still improve a lot. I have been able to run surprisingly good times already with these training amounts. It gives credit.

Last time Risto Ulmala has beaten the Finns in 10,000 meters by 28 minutes in 1991.

– If everything goes well, it is possible to compete at the value competition level and be successful there, says Kotiranta.

Could the next under 28 minutes come from the jogging paths of North Karelia?

Mika Kotiranta competes today in the 5,000 meter final at the Kaleva Games. The final will run according to the schedule at 16:10. On TV2, the broadcast starts at 2:30 p.m.