Pekka Ashprihanal Aalto was elected for the best Finnish male ultrarunner for the year 2015. The best Finnish female ultrarunner for the year 2015 is Noora Honkala, who is the youngest female ever who has finished Spartathlon, a race from Athens to Sparta, 246 km. In sept 2015 she did it for the second time. The election was organized by ultrajuoksu.fi and only persons who had finished at least one ultrarun were eligible to give vote. After the nomination ceremony, Ashprihanal gave an interview to our reporter.

(Photos: srichinmoyraces.org)

When did you start to run ultras?

My first ultrarun was in 1999 [Suomi-juoksu in Turku, Finland, 100 km 10:55:42]. Already during the same year I participated in 700 miles race in New York. [1126 km 10d 23:10:40, and Pekka finished first]. Before that I had done few long hiking tours in the United States.

What is the background for the name ”Ashprihanal”?

Sri Chinmoy had asked me, what does my name Pekka mean. I replied that probably it does not mean anything. Then he asked, when my birthday is. It came out then that we both have the same date, 27th August, as our birthday.

Sri Chinmoy gave to some persons a ”name”. Some got it after several years, some others never. I got it almost right away. In the beginning, he informed that he will later tell me my new name. I thought that he might call me and tell it in the phone, but not after all. When I had just got my new name, during the 700 miles race, he came by car next to me and asked whether I remembered my new name. I tried to pronounce it, and after some difficulties I managed to say it. So, I have got it ever since. It means Aspiration fire inside the heart.

[From his name Ashprihanal there are sometimes different variants. But there are two times letter ’h ’. It is pronounced Ashprihanol, the last ’a ’ is a different letter than the two previous letter ’a ’. Pekka himself also pronounces it ’Ashprihanol ’.]

It is funny that also Dipali [Catherine] Cunningham has the same birth day, 27th August. She has participated 17 times in 700 miles race in New York.

You broke the 3100 miles race world record last summer. Did you plan to do it?

Yes, I wanted to break the record.

[3100 miles race has been organized 19 times in New York. It is about 4990 km and equivalent to transcontinental distance from US coast to coast. Logistically it is easier to be arranged in a single place than a real point-to-point race. In New York, runners will circulate around a fenced playground, on a concrete covered route, which length is about half mile (883 m).]

Already on the first day, I gathered about 95 miles. [About 152 km, which is more than anybody has ever run during the first day of that race]. First I was following, how many miles I have done and figuring out that 75 miles might be enough. But then I thought that forget that false modesty, just let it go. And I did so.

In the early phase of the race you had some weaker days?

Yes, during some days I was really tired. In those cases I finished ”already” at 11pm, so that I could sleep a little bit more. And still in the morning, I was really tired. I had then a feeling that I have not slept at all.

In that race you are not allowed to run between 00 and 06am. We will finish at 12pm, after which we have transportation to our accommodation. Wakeup is around 5:35-5:40am, then transportation to the starting place and start is at 6am.

How is the accommodation arranged?

It is about 2 km from the race site, so, it takes about 10 minutes to drive there. We live as guests with the local inhabitants. This time I even had a room of my own.

After 12pm and arrival to the place, I take a shower, stretch a bit, and have a moment of meditation, then sleep. In practice, you will fall asleep earliest at 00:40am

You look very tidy, as if your beards are not growing?

Because we have that mandatory night break, it is good to use some time for washing and shaving.

The situation is completely different in 7 or 10 days races, where you don’t have breaks in that sense. The time, you spend in shower or shaving, is wasted and out of your result.

What about the laundry?

The organizer took care of it. I for example had certain number of T-shirts and shorts, which I changed from day to day. I put them and my socks to a laundry sac and gave to the race director. You got them back clean next day, sometimes even in the evening of the same day.

Did you have breaks during the day?

We had there vans, normally 4 persons is a van, where you could rest.

During a day, I had three short breaks, when I slept about 15 minutes. I put earplugs, because there were all kind of noise and fuss, which was disturbing. Because of the earplugs, I could not hear the alarm clock, so I used egg timers instead, placed close to my ears, to wake me up.

You don’t have any personal helpers there?

There are voluntary persons, who help everybody and are also performing lap counting. There are shift lists for volunteers to sign in for 6 hour shifts.

This time I got help from Grahak Cunningham, after he had to break his race due to injury. I also myself have often helped others after I have finished my own race.

Do you run according to some planned schedule, like a ratio between running and walking?

In principle, I walk every time I pass the service desk, since you take food or drink there. One lap is less than 1 km. I also walk in every corner, since there are sharp turns. When you are tired, sharp turns are not good for your knees and ankles. So, it is better to walk on the corners and run on the straights.

You don’t have any difficulties with your stomach on ultras?

Usually I have no problems at all with my stomach. To be sure, during the last years, I have got reflux symptoms with some substances. For example, I have had to reduce consumption of cola drinks. In New York I had to stop drinking coke. It is the same thing with French fries. Normally I have no difficulties at all to eat them, but I cannot eat them in ultras.

How the food service is organized?

Nowadays they even have chefs, who prepare all kind of meals, which we eat in small portions during the day. There are lots of fruits: bananas and berries. Also you can get different smoothies. You can even ask the chefs to prepare something you wish to have. Food costs are the biggest expenses there are in the race budget.

It is actually quite tough for the chefs. They wake up at 4am, do food shopping and after that prepare meals. They will get to the bed at around 10pm.

In this respect, the situation is very much different than it was in the earlier years. Then they just brought something to eat and you had to accept it.

What kind of diet you have during normal life?

In principle, I eat just normal food. Except that I don’t eat meat or fish. However, I eat eggs and milk products; I drink cocoa and eat chocolate.

Is that because of ethical reasons?

Well, not really. It is more like believing that animals will be stressed when they are killed and the same stress, in a manner of speaking, will be transferred to us humans.

Are you calculating calories or amounts of different substances?

Even if I eat normal food in principle, I anyway think that food is very important. Our bodies need that, since the strength comes from the inside. Sometimes my weight may decrease, so I have to take care that I eat enough, and of course to eat healthy.

How you inspire yourself mentally during difficult moments?

Your mind has a huge impact. It might either accelerate you or slow you down. You should get rid of thoughts, which are slowing you down.

I remember how Wolfgang Schwerk always mentioned that this is absolutely the last race he will participate, and he will never run again after the race. It was his way of surviving and achieving very good results.

You have small pieces of paper notes there, are they aphorisms?

Yes. They are mainly aphorisms by Sri Chinmoy, and they might help you to manage over difficult moments.

Sometimes you are using earphones?

This time I did not listen anything during the first ten days. Later I did listen to music. The harder it feels, the more I listen to music.

What are you listening to?

Sometimes I have listened to podcasts. But usually all kind of music: pop, Abba etc., sometimes dynamic religious music. Some other day I need more speedy music, rock, because it helps to get rid of fatigue.

You do not wear lot of clothes. You seem to tolerate well different temperatures?

Maybe it is so. To be sure, last time it was quite cool, even if in New York it might be very hot during summer, like it usually is during the 3100 miles races there. Cool air and shadows helped this time to break the record.

6 and 10 days races are different in a sense that they are in Flushing Meadows, where the weather might be very different. Once it rained whole two days and it was very cold. Then I needed to wear lot of clothes. In addition, there might be a strange wind: to one direction very warm and to other direction very cold. In those cases I wear a jacket, which I open when there is a tailwind, and zip up when going to other direction.

How do you choose your shoes for the race?

The surface is concrete in the 3100 miles race. Shoe soles are worn very quickly. I try to choose as soft shoes as possible. I do not prefer any shoe brand, as long as they are soft. 10 years ago Nike had kind of air cushions in their shoes. Adidas shoes were the very hard then. Now they have such boost models, which are suitable for ultras. Sometimes I used Brooks shoes.

In normal life, it does not matter much what kind of shoes you have. But in the race, after one week, your feet become so sensitive that you choose the softest shoes you can find.

I wear thin socks, so that my feet will get air and keep drier.

I guess, you could get easily a shoe manufacturer to sponsor you?

I want that I can freely choose the shoes, which suit me best at that moment when I need them. Of course, this is a minor sport, so there are not many sponsors either.

Many runners have their shoes cut after first week?

I did not cut my shoes in the beginning, because it takes time and extra effort. This time I made it probably too late.

What kind of treatment you have for your feet and toes during the race?

Blisters are treated of course. You puncture them and put tape on them. Sometimes you put tape on your toes beforehand. If you get a blister to the bottom of your foot, then the situation is much worse. It is useful to cut a piece of the insole from that spot where you have the blister. If that would not help, then just take a painkiller.

How do you train for a race?

I was distributing newspapers in the mornings. I was running with the carriage and distributing newspapers in an area, where they did not have elevators in the buildings. Already by that you got a good basic training. In addition, I did some extra running few times a week.

When coming closer to the race, I was running less often, but extending the distance of the runs. Normal distance is 40 km. During the days between, I did some walking.

How do you feel after the race, during next weeks?

After my first race, somebody told me that I am only watching the walls. But I was feeling very satisfied. It feels that there is no need to do anything. But nowadays, I try to do something after the race.

You have participated to 2 miles races quite soon after the ultra, even after one week?

Yes. And once I participated in 2 miles run one day after finishing 700 miles race.

When you were younger, you played soccer and indoor hockey. How about your other exercises nowadays?

I go to gym, and I go to swimming hall once a week. Also I do occasionally some mountain climbing.

You have moved away from Helsinki area. What kind of impact it has had to your running?

I moved early December. I have been very busy because of the move and renovation work for the new house. I have run mainly on the treadmill at the gym. I am still distributing newspapers, but the biggest change is that I have to use a car, because it is a rural area.
Today I drove 104 km. That is why I still have to organize my daily routines according the needs of my running.

What kind of plans you have next?

I am involved in making a documentary film about 4 runners from different parts of the world. We have already been in Colorado, where we were running with Navajos in a canyon, where visitors are not normally allowed to go.

Next I am going to Japan, where I will climb to Mount Fuji.

Also I am considering participating to the 3100 miles race also this year. It would be for me 14th time in that race.

Thank you Pekka for this interview!