RUN HELSINKI

Even after the Olympic Stadium’s opening, Eltsu never stopped providing an athletic atmosphere and proper warm-up facility for track and field competitors visiting Helsinki. International events such as the 1952 Summer Olympics, World Championships in 1983 and 2005, and European Athletics Championships in 1971, 1994, and 2012 all took advantage of the oval. Thanks to the City of Helsinki, the facility has been maintained and renovated on a regular basis to support athletic spirits and keep with international standards. With more than 100 years of history since its opening in 1910, Eltsu is still the most frequently used track and field stadium for Helsinki runners.

Eltsu boasts countless stories from runners of all levels over the years. In fact, it was Finnish hero and Karhu athlete, Paavo Nurmi’s favorite daily training location. In the spring of 1924 his trip to the Summer Olympics was in jeopardy due to a knee injury, but he recovered and resumed training twice a day. On June 19th, Nurmi tested out the Olympic schedule at Eltsu by running the 1500m and 5000m inside an hour, setting new world records for both distances. Aki Nummela, a Helsinki based running coach, former member of Finland's national team, and founder of Runner’s High Oy’s, often visits Eltsu for both his own training and when coaching his athletes. Despite its proximity to busy downtown Helsinki, Eltsu is peaceful, quiet and provides runners motivation for training at their own pace. Like Nurmi, Nummela also says Eltsu is his favorite training track. Perhaps it's being able to draw on the inspiration of the 9 time Olympic gold medalist that brings the sisu spirit to interval workouts.