Over the years many successful long distance runners havoc come out of Finland to compete successfully in the world. They have been almost annual contestants, for example, in the Boston marathon, and there, in 1956, for example, Antti Viskari came in first, setting a new record of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 4 seconds. But there have been others whose ties with America have been closer, and Wille Ritola, to name one, was considered a FinnishAmerican by his admirers here, and with his expenses paid by them he took part in the Olympics, although he represented Finland in them. A completely Finnish-American athlete was Wille Kyrönen, a long distance runner whose major victories were in the Boston marathon and in New York. Another was John Salo, who was twice among the first in the monster transcontinental marathons, achieving considerable fame for himself.

The success of Finnish athletes in outstanding sporting events did not fail to stimulate the athletic programs of the Finns of Minnesota. Their newspapers began to report regularly on sports activities, and in particular the Duluth papers, the Industrialist: and the Päivälehti followed developments on the sports front very closely.

Competitive athletics was very limited in the beginning. Men practiced and trained within the framework of their own clubs, but now and then one of the better ones did take part in some American meet. Then athletic competitions were added to the annual midsummer festivals, there was an opportunity to match strength, endurance and speed with fellow Finns on a larger scale, generally on the most impromptu of fields, roughly cleared for the purpose.

Names which are remembered from those early days include such as Sam Kukka, in the javelin, Erick Anttila with the shotput, Jussi Stieg and Kalle Tanner as distance runners, together with Samuel Koskela. Other names include Antti Ahlfors, Vilho Karvonen, Matti Kunnari, Edwin Lehti and Adolf Ottelin.

These programs of athletic events in connection with the midsummer festivals were carried out successfully for over three decades before a falling off began to become increasingly apparent the immigrant athletes were getting too old, and that meant the falling off and then complete lack of interest in sports in general.

It should be stated, however, that as far as Minnesota is concerned, the midsummer festivals did not represent the only high point in Finnish-American athletic activities. There were many local sports groups in the state, each with particular factors making for enthusiastic effort or causing their speedy disappearance.

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