Endurance running Finnish star Alisa Vainio is preparing for Sunday’s top-level Berlin Marathon.
Vainio, 28, who overwhelmingly won the EC gold in August, flew to the German capital on Wednesday. The native of Lappeenranta ran less than his last marathon two weeks ago in Jyväskylä, when he won the SM gold with a brisk training pace.
Vainio was asked at the top runners’ press conference in Berlin if he has recovered from where he started.
“I think so,” the marathoner replied.
“I just trust my body and the fact that I’ll recover quickly if I do everything right. It’s like my superpower,” he continued without even flinching.
Alisa Vainio also had time to compete in the Sweden match after the European Championships. She won the women’s 10,000 meters in Helsinki overwhelmingly.
Vainion won the EC marathon by almost five minutes on an exceptionally roller-coaster-like route. In Berlin there are 73 meters of elevation, in England they were a whopping 670 meters.
The European Championship gold performance was still interesting even in Berlin.
“It was crazy because I was scared of the route. It went well though, I think I can run both hilly and flat routes.”
This time, Vainio did not have to train separately in his hometown Also named Alisa’s bridge On the Luukkaansalmi bridge.
In Berlin, the route is known to be fast in addition to its flatness. Vainio expects a top performance from himself on Sunday.
“I wish I could run my new record,” said the SE woman.
The Finnish record run by Vainio in Seville in February is 2:20:39.
It might get crushed by a big margin. Vainio could not yet estimate what kind of time he could best arrive at the finish line.
“I’m not quite sure, but hopefully under 2.20.”
Vainio last ran in Berlin two years ago and finished 14th with his then record of 2:25:36.
of Berlin the marathon starts on Sunday at 9:45 Finnish time.
The tough competition is one of the seven major series marathons.