Tempo Running Store x RID
RID in Finland
A little while back we were contacted by a guy named Joonas Laurila who told us that he was about to open a new running store in Finland and that he thought we could be a great fit for one another. We couldn’t agree more and as of now you can also find Running Is Dead at Tempo Running Store on Teollisuuskatu 20 in Helsinki. But first things first…
Who is Joonas Laurila and what’s your background in running?
My background is really in team sports such as floorball, bandy and soccer but a cancer in my left foot stopped everything in 2000. I was running a lot at the time and did some races but it was always just a means for me to get better at the sports I was involved in and not specifically something I did to become good at running. Due to a long recovery and several surgeries (because I didn’t want to amputate my leg, which was also an option) I had to learn how to walk again and basically rebuild my body again. And pretty soon I realized that my foot won’t endure team sports again.
So I ended up bouncing from an IT business to the sports retailer Intersport and soon realized I was really into running shoes and found myself as the store’s running specialist. One thing led to another and soon I was running again, more and more. And this was a big change in my lifestyle which led to several marathons (side note: Joonas holds an impressive personal best of 2:48:18) but after we had kids I’ve started to see that there’s so much more beyond “normal” running. The comradery, motives, places and times when we run and so on. And ever since I realized this I’ve been on that road searching for what else running can deliver to us.
During my search for something new and after seeing the situation in Finland’s running scene and stores I realized that the gap between these two is huge. The stores can’t entirely deliver and be what the runners want. So we needed a new one and luckily I found I like minded person who wanted to jump in and help me build my dream concept – Tempo Running Store.
Tempo Running Store is a concept store always on the move and ready to act and take part to build an even more diverse and vibrant running community which takes into account all runners no matter what their tempo is. We’re more than just a store, we’re a place that connects runners, new and old brands, movements and phenomenons and weave them into a massive web of running culture.
We wanted to have products which runners haven’t yet seen or weren’t able to buy from Finland. Also it was important for us to focus on both cultural and high performance products which other stores won’t and can’t sell.
Our concept is based on clean aesthetics, a high level of service for every runner and carefully curated products and the brands behind them who share the same vision, values and will to make a difference and bravely shake things in our running culture.
Tempo Running Store x RID
RID in Finland
A little while back we were contacted by a guy named Joonas Laurila who told us that he was about to open a new running store in Finland and that he thought we could be a great fit for one another. We couldn’t agree more and as of now you can also find Running Is Dead at Tempo Running Store on Teollisuuskatu 20 in Helsinki. But first things first…
Who is Joonas Laurila and what’s your background in running?
My background is really in team sports such as floorball, bandy and soccer but a cancer in my left foot stopped everything in 2000. I was running a lot at the time and did some races but it was always just a means for me to get better at the sports I was involved in and not specifically something I did to become good at running. Due to a long recovery and several surgeries (because I didn’t want to amputate my leg, which was also an option) I had to learn how to walk again and basically rebuild my body again. And pretty soon I realized that my foot won’t endure team sports again.
So I ended up bouncing from an IT business to the sports retailer Intersport and soon realized I was really into running shoes and found myself as the store’s running specialist. One thing led to another and soon I was running again, more and more. And this was a big change in my lifestyle which led to several marathons (side note: Joonas holds an impressive personal best of 2:48:18) but after we had kids I’ve started to see that there’s so much more beyond “normal” running. The comradery, motives, places and times when we run and so on. And ever since I realized this I’ve been on that road searching for what else running can deliver to us.
During my search for something new and after seeing the situation in Finland’s running scene and stores I realized that the gap between these two is huge. The stores can’t entirely deliver and be what the runners want. So we needed a new one and luckily I found I like minded person who wanted to jump in and help me build my dream concept – Tempo Running Store.
Tempo Running Store is a concept store always on the move and ready to act and take part to build an even more diverse and vibrant running community which takes into account all runners no matter what their tempo is. We’re more than just a store, we’re a place that connects runners, new and old brands, movements and phenomenons and weave them into a massive web of running culture.
We wanted to have products which runners haven’t yet seen or weren’t able to buy from Finland. Also it was important for us to focus on both cultural and high performance products which other stores won’t and can’t sell.
Our concept is based on clean aesthetics, a high level of service for every runner and carefully curated products and the brands behind them who share the same vision, values and will to make a difference and bravely shake things in our running culture.
I’m a sucker for history so Hannes Kolehmainen and Paavo Nurmi. They’re the greatest.
Editors note: Johannes “Hannes” Petteri Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance running phenomenon who brought home no less than three gold medals from the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm where he won the 10 000 meters race with a very respectable 31:20:8, the 5000 meters race where his 14:36:6 was an improvement of the prior world record by nearly half a minute and the cross-country race which we actually have no idea what it was like. Paavo Nurmi in turn was a runner who had an impressive feat of 22 official world records and no less than 9 gold medals which he won in the 1920, the 1924 and the 1928 Olympics in distances ranging from 1500 to 10 000 meters and is by many people considered to be the greatest Finnish athlete ever.
Running in Helsinki
Are there any running crews/events in Helsinki and, if post corona we were able to travel freely to Helsinki, how would we get in touch with them?
Over the years Helsinki’s running scene has been growing up fast. We have several crews and especially Unbowed RUNNNG and Helsinki Social Runners are organizing a lot of free street races and social runs. You can easily find them on Instagram. Also, we’re organizing almost weekly social runs and other events from the shop!
@unbowed_rnnng
@helsinkisocialrunners
@joonas_laurila
@temporunningstore
Joonas Laurila
Founder / Creative Director Tempo Running Store
+358 45 111 4662
Instagram: @joonas_laurila
Twitter: @JoonasLaurila
Skype: Joonas.Laurila
I’m a sucker for history so Hannes Kolehmainen and Paavo Nurmi. They’re the greatest.
Editors note: Johannes “Hannes” Petteri Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance running phenomenon who brought home no less than three gold medals from the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm where he won the 10 000 meters race with a very respectable 31:20:8, the 5000 meters race where his 14:36:6 was an improvement of the prior world record by nearly half a minute and the cross-country race which we actually have no idea what it was like. Paavo Nurmi in turn was a runner who had an impressive feat of 22 official world records and no less than 9 gold medals which he won in the 1920, the 1924 and the 1928 Olympics in distances ranging from 1500 to 10 000 meters and is by many people considered to be the greatest Finnish athlete ever.
Running in Helsinki
Are there any running crews/events in Helsinki and, if post corona we were able to travel freely to Helsinki, how would we get in touch with them?
Over the years Helsinki’s running scene has been growing up fast. We have several crews and especially Unbowed RUNNNG and Helsinki Social Runners are organizing a lot of free street races and social runs. You can easily find them on Instagram. Also, we’re organizing almost weekly social runs and other events from the shop!
@unbowed_rnnng
@helsinkisocialrunners
@joonas_laurila
@temporunningstore
Joonas Laurila
Founder / Creative Director Tempo Running Store
+358 45 111 4662
Instagram: @joonas_laurila
Twitter: @JoonasLaurila
Skype: Joonas.Laurila
