Lasse Artturi Virén (born 22 July 1949) is a Finnish former long-distance runner….winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Born in Myrskylä, Finland, Virén recaptured the image of the “Flying Finns” promoted by runners like Hannes Kolehmainen, Paavo Nurmi, and Ville Ritola in the 1920’s. After his career he became a police officer and is now retired. This video gives a great look at the history of long distance runners known as the Flying Finns from 1912 to 1936.
