Bridge training helped Alisa Vainio win European marathon title
Wednesday 19th August 2026 on 14:30 in
Finland
Repeated runs over a bridge in her hometown of Lappeenranta helped Alisa Vainio prepare for the European marathon championships, Yle reports. Her coach, Jarmo Viskari, said the Luukkaansalmi Bridge provided a tougher elevation challenge than the race route.
Vainio ran back and forth across the bridge throughout the spring after the Birmingham marathon course was published. The 28-year-old won the women’s European marathon title by a wide margin on Sunday.
The Birmingham course had an unusually large total elevation gain of 670 metres. Vainio’s training route on the bridge included 700 metres of continuous climbing, followed by an even longer descent.
“The Luukkaansalmi Bridge was, in terms of elevation differences, even a little tougher than the race route,” Viskari said.
The bridge itself is 433 metres long and rises to almost 25 metres above the surface of Lake Saimaa. It connects the Lauritsala district on the eastern side of Lappeenranta with Hyötiönsaari and, beyond it, Vehkataipale.
During demanding training weeks, Vainio can run more than 200 to 250 kilometres. Viskari said she was highly motivated by the bridge sessions and considered them good preparation for the competition.
That preparation was evident in Birmingham, where Vainio made a fast start on the hilly course and controlled the race from beginning to end.
Marathon training is typically done on flat ground. Vainio has also run repeated laps around a fitness trail surrounding Lappeenranta Airport.
According to Viskari, the airport’s 7.8-kilometre trail is typical for marathon training because flat terrain makes it easier for runners to maintain a steady pace and monitor their perceived exertion than in changing terrain.
Viskari said Lappeenranta offers ideal conditions for marathon training, with a variety of easily accessible routes and suitable summer temperatures. In Central Europe, athletes have had to account for heat in their training, which has affected their training times, he said.