Analyzing the Greats - Lasse Viren

In this installment of Analyzing The Greats, I take a look at Lasse Viren, a powerhouse of distance running in the 1970s from Finland. Viren, to a lot of Americans, is known for taking down Steve Prefontaine in the 1972 Olympic 5000 meters.
Viren is a beautiful and efficient runner. His form is effortless and he looks like he's jogging even when he's running sub 5 minute miles.

[@garysmith3913]

Excellent analysis. Your point about Viren having the same form regardless of his speed is spot on. The loping stride is a good characterization. He does tend to look down, but I suspect part of that came from his running in the Finnish forests where he has said he was constantly looking down to avoid tripping on tree roots. Viren called himself a light heel striker, btw. Notice how Lasse stays inside close to the curb in many of his races to shorten the distance. Very smart tactics. Pre ended up running further in that '72 Olympic final by running wide on the bends. Viren had just turned 31 for the Olympic 10000 final in 1980. He came into those Olympics off an injury and perhaps under-trained. He also admitted his motivation after his 4 Gold Medals was lacking. Nevertheless, he ran a very courageous race that day....the announcer aptly called it a "champion's race". Thanks for the video on my favorite distance runner.

[@TotalRunningProductions]

Gary Smith wow that’s so cool! You obviously know a lot about Viren. It’s great to know these pieces of information on runners. It shows a wide variety in their backgrounds and their training. I appreciate your words of insight here! Thanks foe the comment!

[@MrPP1959]

@@TotalRunningProductions Gary Smith I am giving these comments from Finland at the neighbor village of Lasse Viren. That's exactly said about his tactics, which you can see in all of his olympic gold victories. BTW, Lasse decided with his coach Haikkola, that they aim only for olympics years before Munich 1972. He wasn't fast enough, so he saved energy and killed the sprint speed from everyone else 600-1100 m before the end. They had always plan A and plan B for the final. He didn't run like an animal. Just simple tactics. It's so funny how some say, that someone should earn the medal or even gold, because they try so hard or run like animals. To. many people have spread the word about things you can't see or prove, they don't look at these facts about tactics and economy of using energy. Lasse and coach Haikkola admitted weaknesses and turned them into advantages in speed killing tactics. It worked every time.

[@garysmith3913]

@south islander Proof proof proof proof?

[@ossitikkanen1335]

@south islander There is not any kind of proof for that. Don´t be jealous to the one of the best long distance runners of all times :-)

[@Paulashfordpoems]

Viren was my first running hero. I saw him fall over and quickly get up to win the 10000m in Munich. That was the very first Olympics I saw live. Then I saw him get three more golds. BTW, he had a leg injury and couldn't run much for two whole years until an operation between the 72 and 76 Games. He had a very efficient style and was so great because the great New Zealand coach, Arthur Lydiard, went over to Finland and began coaching there. So Viren learnt and trained from the best, plenty of high mileage to build an aerobic base. Then hills, threshold, VO2max and strides. Quax and Dixon trained under Lydiard methods as well and got 2nd and 4th in the 76 5000m. Viren didn't need any blood doping because he had the best coaching and sisu of course.

[@johnnelligan4091]

One of the greatest runners of all time , Lasse Viren ! A Flying Finn !!!

[@MrRazorblade999]

And a blood doper

[@ossitikkanen1335]

@@MrRazorblade999 There is no proof for that. Story about blood doping was created mostly by her jealous rivals and their coaches :-( . His natural blood rates were superhigh and his heart was one of a kind. He didn´t need any doping for succcess :-)

[@MrRazorblade999]

@@ossitikkanen1335 Haha! Only a Finn can believe something like that.

[@richardmilliken5651]

@@ossitikkanen1335 Viren never ran fast times in between the Olympic Games and Finland was notorious for blood doping in X/C Skiing and for middle & long distance races. Blood doping was legal back then and Finland took full advantage of that. It wasn't just Finland, there were other european countries that engaged in blood-doping and Peds!

[@PaulVinonaama]

@@richardmilliken5651 Yes, Viren was better in Olympic years, though not only in the games, since he was in a very good condition for summers 1972 and 1976 in general. But it is hard to see any logical connection between this fact and the blood-doping claim. If it was easy to get into good condition with blood-doping, why not blood-dope every summer? Other explanations make more sense: injuries and relative lack of motivation in the non-Olympic years. (Besides, FWIW, Viren got the bronze with 13.24 in the EC 5000m in 1974, which was actually a bit faster than his winning times in the Olympics.)

[@user-xn2hf9re8r]

he's a beautiful runner and he probably looks down as he's used to running in the forest on tracks so they'd be roots to watch out for

[@melenriquez8985]

That right arm swing you mention is due to running in track counter clockwise. It is there to compensate for that curve when turning on track sections. I also tend to look downwards too, not 8-12feet ahead. The reason is that we tend to watch for potholes or if in a trail, so we can see where we are stepping. Also, I tend to "look" inside me better looking just 3-4 feet ahead of me. It quiets my mind, and it is less sensory input that seems to sap my energy. His team mate is Maaninka. You really can't make other people go for that form. Each one of us is different and have some muscle or tendon differences that make us run a certain way. Even a mm of one leg being shorter changes things. In reality, we are compensating for some differences in physique or build. That plus the environment where we live and run affects our gait or running form.

[@jonb9194]

Viren had the best running mechanics in distance running history. The low knee lift allows very low energy to get the leg into footstrike position, but requires a lot of hamstring strength development. The low leg backswing is the result of the combination of very strong hip flexors and immediate activation of them to start pulling the knee forward after toe-off. Jenna Hutchins is the only other runner I've ever seen to do this (almost 50 years later). Viren also catches his weight very quickly at footstrike and keeps a constant vertical level throughout the stance phase, with virtually no "lope" vertical sagging. To me, Viren had the perfect mechanics to aspire to for 5000m to marathon distances.

[@SerGio-xs9ss]

An extra of blood cells also helped a lot ! Haha ! (Blood transfusion before the races)

[@MARMELADIKAKKUAYFGA]

ONE OF MY IDOLS

[@paulivalikangas6425]

At The old times there were no army of managers. Nutrition, training and thinkin himself like Paavo Nurmi did was a must. Lasse made his own tactics while running. You can see it in all olympics winning runs. Watching back thinking. Lasse was very smart. And had long legs like elks.

[@wazzu1452]

How was I NOT subscribed to your channel. Great stuff that I have watched multiple times. Thank You

[@VictorOctavian]

Good stuff but come on: if you don't already know, Google will tell you in 0.65s that Karlo Maaninka was his team-mate in Moscow and that Viren had only just turned 31! The loose arm-swing, as you point out, balances his loping style: have a look at Sebastian Coe running 5000m on the track in the same year, at a similar pace. Similar build, similar height and they both look like they're jogging!

[@AnthonyMcqueen1987]

Without a doubt a legend in distance running.

[@a690ac52ed7]

Excellent analysis of a superb athlete! Incidentally, Viren had just turned 31 five days before when he ran the 10,000 in 1980.

[@Jop3lius]

He suffered an injury that prevented him from training for a whole year and that left him with kneepains that are showing on 80s olympics, he just never complained about it so its not that widely known fact

[@SirBorisHayter]

How old was Yifter?

[@aaronbruce5568]

@@SirBorisHayter Between 36 and 42. His actual birthday is unknown.

[@mtsflorida]

No mention of the 10K in '72 that he fell and was the beginning of his double double victory.. He was a statesman and police officer that was the best at what he did. Like me in '76 he trained at 30-35 mile runs.

[@johnnelligan4091]

Thank You My friend for Posting !

[@petrisyrja-kokkila7103]

Before 1980 olympics Viren injured his ankle moose hunting and couldn't train proberly. His training kilometers were only fraction of normal. Would have been nice to see him there in full form. He did ok though.

[@WithBACON]

I recall that Mary Decker (now Mary Slaney) was similar in that her form seemed not to change much regardless of the pace.

[@yourbestfriend194]

Interesting video here! *You should do one of EMIEL PUTTEMANS!* Lasse is one of my all time favorites!!! Id like Prefontaine havent died so he could have the chance to run against Lasse Viren one more time and finish the thing between both of them!

[@qilinxue989]

didn't know this guy would one day move on to make legendary physics videos

[@xedvux]

Great video. If you can do a video on Sebastian Coe or Said Aouita, that would be very much appreciated.

[@TotalRunningProductions]

xedvux Uploaded Sebastain Coe a few days ago! Check it out!

[@jamesmichels8434]

Viren is the kind of runner that inspires other runners to run ,

[@blankname6629]

I’d argue his form was far more efficient than pre’s but pre could not have used vierin’s style. You need longer legs to be able to successfully run like this.

[@jaqmart]

he had unfair advantage from blood doping (the classic method of autologous blood replacement).

[@rickydaum3818]

I think what makes Steve’s legend so great is no really doubts that he would have become the greatest runner to ever live had he not tragically died prematurely

[@PaulVinonaama]

Haha, he was not even close to being close...

[@PBosco]

Emiel Puttermans, Belgium, was a chief rival. Also an incredible runner.

[@garysmith3913]

Agree, Puttemans was truly great with a long career. Just didn't connect in the Olympics.

[@michaelyoung6837]

He doesn't have to lift knee that high because of a long stride and great degree of forward lean.Quick pull of the heel to add.

[@blankname6629]

Absolutely it’s more efficient to not lift your leg so high drains more energy

[@believerinjesuschrist7]

Nice Bogota Columbia is where my grandma was born!

[@dinocruz53]

Can you please make one on Miruts Yifter. Thank you. What I think would be cool is a speculative piece on how Viren and Yifter would have fared against each other in the 76 Olympics.

[@onefoot7]

You don't want big kick, whether up or back, smooth, cadence stride, high knee up type stride will fatigue you much much faster.....smooth easy stride, actually a bit tighter the better (for strength), tap-tap-tap.......like that

[@johnnelligan4091]

Viren finished 5th in the Olympic Marathon in 1976 .

[@johnwright3815]

Yeah...this amazed me too...after winning two golds, something like 5 days after his second gold. Amazing runner (and I am from Oregon :) ) .

[@bremCZ]

@@johnwright3815 Nobody but Zatopek could pull that off.

[@garysmith3913]

@@johnwright3815 5 days after his second gold??? It was actually 21 hours!

[@garysmith3913]

@@bremCZ Zatopek had 3 days rest before his Olympic marathon win. Viren had 21 hours. And Viren ran his marathon 10 minutes faster than Zatopek, that would have been roughly a 2 mile difference between the two! Plus Viren had to run a 10000 heat in his Montreal Olympics, Zatopek had no 10000 heat in 1952. Not to take anything away from a great man like Zatopek, but I really think Viren's performance in a 8 day period in Montreal was actually better.

[@johnwright3815]

Hi Again...being from Oregon, Steve Prefontaine was this near god-like hero. Although an gritty and gifted runner, it is clear he was not up to this level. How woudl S.P. have done in 1976? Who knows...but Viren would have been ready. I had no idea he ran in 1980! Amazing.

[@Finarphin]

The other Finnish runner in the Moscow final was Kaarlo Maaninka (second).

[@sikaerkki666]

he did run enormous amount of kilometers in training,and rain or shine

[@markmccoskrie2871]

Lasse Viren was a class act he made Steve Prefontaine look like a complete novice. Steve Prefontaine could have learnt a lot from this man.

[@blankname6629]

If the Munich pace was faster at the beginning pre would have made vierin look slow. His power in his stride would have been gone like it was in 1980.

[@PaulVinonaama]

@@blankname6629 No, Viren was capable of much faster times than Prefontaine.

[@johnnysmith7109]

Can you post one of Alberto Juantorena. Cuban mid distance runner. 200 m , 400 m gold medal in 1976 Olympics

[@SergeLabelle]

Johnny -> 400 & 800 ;-)

[@axeblue]

Yuriv borzakovskiy 800m 1,500 Do sane analysis style. I enjoyed this

[@aleksandarjovcic]

Pls do Mo Farah or even Jakob Ingebrigsten!

[@TotalRunningProductions]

Aleksandar Jovcic I’ve had some requests for both! I’ll check out Mo next 😎

[@larsosterberg8301]

Nice

[@drdawg3]

4:57 Not sure but could be his team mate Harold Manninka

[@mattilaaksonen1309]

Kaarlo Maaninka

[@sandrocorlaite9571]

Isso não é Hum Humano,, isso é Super Humano 👏👏

[@onefoot7]

Exceptionally long femurs, and very strong hammys (like Salazar), able to push through things.......

[@aidanbacon6264]

How is there only 22k views on this video

[@antonyowers2835]

Super video, and much enjoyed but the commentator should surely have done his homework. Heard of David Coleman?

[@randyevermore9323]

You repeatedly say that the fact that his arms cross in front of his chest slightly is a bad thing. What do you base that on? Is it just one of those things that you hear a lot from coaches? Or is there really a biomechanical/anatomical basis for it? And, no, Lasse wasn't anywhere near 35 to 40 years old at Moscow. His was only 23 at Munich, when he won his first two gold medals, so I'll let you do the arithmetic. You also claim that Lasse doesn't have the "hip flexibility" of Prefontaine because Lasse doesn't flex at the hip as much as Pre when he runs. But that doesn't necessarily mean that Lasse was less flexible in the hips than Pre; it just means he ran differently from Pre (and I'd say much more efficiently, given his vastly superior performances). And finally, I think it would have been better to analyze Lasse's form when he was at his best (you had four other Olympic finals to pick from). He'd been injured before Moscow and that undermined his training, so his form probably wasn't as good as it was when his was at peak fitness. I don't mean to sound too critical. I always love to see running on KZbin. What I don't like is unfounded or uninformed speculation about matters like running mechanics, and there's far too much of that on the Web.

[@jamesmichels8434]

Rock climbing over night took my fear away of hard pace,I slept out with mountain lions and a gallon of ice water,thorns were scratchy and rattle snakes a hazard,mountain lions liked me

[@sunnydays5581]

when you talk upright and stride, very little beats pekka vassala . I had a poster when i was young of him and kip, stride for stride at the top of the straight in '72

[@havrisen6620]

I don’t know anything about running but Prefontaine is a legend and icon of sports here in the USA and looked up to by athletes of every sport in the USA. He is to running what Ali was to boxing and Jordan to basketball here. So, my question is can somebody here who’s very knowledgeable about running and is a runner themself give me an honest opinion on how they think this man’s career would’ve lived out had he not been killed? Would he have ever beaten the guys that beat him at the ‘72 Olympics? Would he ever have beaten Viren? I ask because I’ve heard Prefontaine never hit his peak and that runners usually don’t hit their peak by 24 which is the age I think he was when he died. 23-24? Anyway, if anyone can enlighten me on this topic I’d be interested. I can’t imagine him improving without the use of substances. To me, it looks like the guys pushed himself to the limit and gave all. He was just never going to beat Viren. Am I wrong?

[@richardmilliken5651]

If Pre had lived he would not have beaten Viren unless he trained at altitude and blood-doped like Viren & the other European 5K runners,

[@TheLutrien]

@@richardmilliken5651 Finnish runners were almost unbeatable at that time (Vätäinen, Viren, Vasala, Pävarinta, Vainio, Maaninka...) in running and cross-country skiing. At another time, there were Italians (running, cycling and cross-country skiing), then the Spanish (marathon, cycling). Each time, a same doctor (Ferrari, Fuentes) was behind the athletes, the cyclists and the skiers... Funny !

[@richardmilliken5651]

@@TheLutrien Interesting!

[@jimthompson3422]

I loved pre’s heart and desire to give it his all. He had drive and guts. It is too bad his life was cut short as we never got to see him fully develop. Seems he had to battle a lot of things like the AAU, finances,etc. He pushed himself always to give his best. A little more experience and more competition on the world stage would have helped him more. Other things like higher altitude training might have helped him more. He made friends with Finns and invited them to US and it was too bad Virein didn’t come to US as it would have been a good race. We will never truly know and can only speculate due to his tragic death. Pre had a confidence, I believe, and not necessarily arrogance although I can understand how others might have thought otherwise. I heard that some of his statements when heard overseas were not exactly as he said them and thus they were misconstrued a little making him a little more “cocky”. That said there is a difference in having confidence which is good and needed and being actually cocky. I also liked learning about some of the more charitable things he found time to do like working with prisoners, etc. I can relate to his out front style in my own sport. So I have a lot to admire about him and respect the times and circumstances he lived in. This is no disrespect for the other great runners of that time. I just liked Pre and feel he left a good legacy.

[@garwill2032]

❤❤❤

[@TheLutrien]

He asn't running at a 4'40" but rather 4'20"/mile pace !

[@abcdecghijklmn]

He wouldve won in Moscow too without his groin /hip problems! Thats a fact!

[@sikaerkki666]

lasse told that he was probalbly in his best shape in 1980 moscow

[@sikaerkki666]

but due injuries...well if aunt got balls,he would be uncle...

[@cirosuperiore]

u forget to mention in your videos that the runner that stays on the inside lane as much as possible has a greater chance of WINNING the race.... in this race LV is running in the 2nd or even 3rd lane. NOT so in his winning races where he stays in the 1st lane practically ALL the way. running on the outside ADDS up. *So my advise, stay in the 1st lane as much as possible even if you have to be last in the early part of the race.* (this is backed-up by studies)

[@antintallirunnersmikkeliFIN]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4LadnVtZtB7iNU in this video Kari Sinkkonen from Finland is coaching running technique. In the 70's Kari was Pekka Vasala's and Pekka Päivärinta's coach. Viren's coach was Rolf Haikkola. Finnish training method is the Lydiard-system mixed with an old traditional training style what Nurmi, Kolehmainen, Ritola, Mäki, Heino, Salminen, Askola, Iso-Hollo and many other runners used. Finnish forest trails, freezing cold and dark winter, sauna and mental consentration and perfect condition timing. No secrets, just running. Topi Raitanen is made by same wood, ethiopians and kenyans are absolutely mental relatives of The Flying Finns. Huge mental and spiritual potential, naturally high running-IQ, hard training makes perfect technique.

[@McSlobo]

Also blood doping might help.

[@djc0108]

Style looks similar to Steve Ovett’s.

[@OslerWannabe]

Yes, excellent analysis. And ... If you have wonderful form and a monster work ethic, you can perform even better with a little blood doping. It wasn't illegal at the time, and he's consistently denied using it, but it's also undeniable that he sort of disappeared between Olympic years, only to resurface before the Olympics, unbeatable. Then he'd recede into anonymity until the next one. Finnish distance runners had traditionally used blood doping for decades, and the nation had a string of successes to show for it. And who knows - many of his competitors were likely doing it as well, so the playing field may have been more level than we knew.

[@PaulVinonaama]

"For decades?" Certainly not. And if blood doping was Viren's key to success, why did he not blood dope every year? I do not claim to know if he did it or not, but it is not a good explanation for his "disappearance" in non-Olympic years. Other explanations, injuries and lesser motivation, make more sense. Besides, he did not quite "disappear," for example, he got bronze in 1974 EC. Moreover, in 1972, he was in an excellent (about WR) condition for an extended period of time. Does blood doping work so long? Or if he did it several times that year, why not every year?

[@richardmilliken5651]

@@PaulVinonaama Viren had a job as a police officer in between the Olympics and his main focus was winning Gold Medals in the 5K & 10K. Keep in mind that you will increase the odds of weakening your immuntiy sysyem and coming down with a blood disease which will pretty much end one's running career. Blood doping was legal and was widely used by European Endurance athletes. Viren would train intensely 3 months before the Olympic games in the highest altitudes in Kenya.

[@DavidGarcia-h5l]

Not bad!!.. now step up your game and dive into the king of running hicham El guerrruj Moroccan world sensation..

[@DavidGarcia-h5l]

He is the UNICORN..THE THE FORM THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS I believe he would have chewed up lasse unfortunately no disrespect...I point you to his eyes. As if they Were in a trance of hypnotic detachment from reality is the best I describe his running magic and power of a human unicorn. Get to work..

[@jamesmichels8434]

Basically I ran every other day ,I believed runners are like old car tires if the runner runs to much ,

[@mtsflorida]

The third Olympic games for Lasse was too much. He had a bad match up. The runner who won kept back until the last moment and took lasse off guard just at the same time the leader slightly eased up allowing Lasse to start the pass. Had this occurred differently Lasse might have won. The key is to not being blindsided. This is how he fell in the one race and why he had always been looking around except this one moment.

[@GeoAce777]

I think 97.5% of runners 'kinda cross over' 😅

[@PrentisHancock1]

See this video about an athlete who thought he could beat, and did beat, Lasse Viren - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn3cZYh7jbWhiqM

[@onefoot7]

Analyze form all day....this is 'Sisu', look it up, you can't measure guts, or Finnish Sisu.....it's (back then, too much analysis today) the guts running that got Viren there...smoked all those guys, cause he didn't 'analyze', he just ran.....take note

[@TheSecondWitness]

You spent 90% of the video critiquing his form, instead of telling us about his career, successes, times, great races, etc. Appreciate your videos, but really his career is far more important than his form.

[@Jop3lius]

'Analyzing the Greats' Maybe read the title next time, its not a history take but analysis of his running technique.

[@RajuShaikh-pl9xc]

He always does 90 percent fartlek tranning in her tranning

[@peroskarsson8455]

It´s easy to compete with blood doping and a big advantage.

[@scottbarker9058]

yup...1980 olypics...the e. africans ur starten 2 take controlll!!!!!

[@SerGio-xs9ss]

Cheater ! He had blood transfusion before the races. He knew he was not the better.

[@michaelwienholt5381]

Sophomoric analysis.

[@MrKLindholm]

I am so sorry but so much too analyzing.

[@generalarmamentcompany]

That music sucks so annoying

[@peroskarsson8455]

This American "analiyzer" is totally unawre of the fact tha Vien (and other top Finnish athlets at the time) all were injected by their own blood with heave content of oxygen before thier competitions. This is called "blood doping", and was not banned at the time. Taking this under concideration the analyzy may get another result.

[@samjackson5446]

Lack of evidence again.....just talk is cheap. And by the way Viren ankle was surgered between olympics. Facts first😉

[@triptoyourheart]

Viren was not using blood-doping. His results months prior to both '72 and '76 games prove this clearly. Stop spreading lies. Plus he was way ahead of the other competitors both tactically and technically. For example, his choice of running close to the edge of the track gave him 40m advantage in '72 5000m compared to Pre.

[@McSlobo]

@@samjackson5446 There's only a few cases that provide evidence about the Finnish doping programme, people knew how to keep secrets back then, but e.g. Kaarlo Maaninka who finishes 2nd this race admitted in 1981 using blood doping before the race. So, doping was certainly a part of Finnish sports training - athletes rarely come up with these ideas by themselves - but there's no information who were involved. Probably all, and also in other successful countries.

[@samjackson5446]

Different year different man. I wont blame all US sprinters because Marion Jones used doping. Again facts firts about Lasse😉

[@carlosromeira]

You have no idea about what running is or anything about what Athletics... only nonsense on this video.