While waiting for the women to finish, the men in the group sit and talk with Viren and friend Seppo Pukkila, who has stopped by after running the Lassen Hölkkä. We pepper them with questions about the old days of Finnish running. There was great depth in Finland. Pukkila ran 29 minutes and was ranked only 30th in the country. There were many others chasing Viren in the 1970s, including Martti Vainio, Juha "The Cruel" Vddtdinen, and Seppo Tuominen. But Viren was something special, says Pukkila. "He wanted to win the Olympics above all else. That's the main reason he was so good."
"Lasse never talked much about his training," recalls his wife Päivi, a teacher in Helsinki. "No matter what the weather, he just went out and ran. He never complained or missed a workout."
What about food?
"No, he had no special diet. Lasse ate everything, including meat."
Soon it's our turn for the sauna. As we go in, Viren says, "I often took saunas to relax after a workout, but never before a race. It could be too relaxing." He's right, and it feels so good that I repeat the process a second time, enjoying the contrast of heat and cold as I jump into the lake.
After dressing, we go into the house, where Päivi has prepared a spread. We sit and talk, drink coffee, and have "goodies," as Eino calls Finnish pastries. The house has a cultured yet comfortable air. There's a warm, cozy kitchen, paintings and etchings on the walls, soft leather couches, and lots of crystal (often given as prizes in Finland).
"I was sitting on the couch," says LeBrun, "when Lasse came and sat down next to me. Oh my god, that's Lasse Viren, I thought. I froze. But then he started chatting with us, and I saw that he was a regular guy.
You don't realize that until you get the chance to meet him, because he's such a famous guy."
The trophy room
The highlight for the hardcore runners in the group comes when we gravitate toward a small room in the back of the house where Viren keeps his trophies. The room is packed with medals, cups and
