Alisa Vainio started sport at the age of three as a figure skater. She then followed her older brothers into ice hockey and won a bandy World Championship bronze medal at just 15. In the end, distance running became her sport. In August 2026 in Birmingham, the Lappeenranta native became European marathon champion in a championship record time of 2:22:26. She was the first Finnish woman to win a marathon medal at a major championship. Her winning margin of almost five minutes is the largest in the history of the women’s European Championship marathon.

Lappeenranta is Alisa’s home and her training ground. She was born here and represents the Lappeenrannan Urheilu-Miehet club. Even before major championships, she prefers to prepare at home in Finland. At just 17, she caught the attention of the whole country by running 2:33:24 at the Joutseno Marathon.

Alisa has stayed humble despite her success. After she won the European title, a reporter asked whether she now believed she was the best in Europe. In typical Alisa style, she answered that she was maybe a little better than average.

Her results speak for themselves. At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, she finished fifth in the marathon, the best European in the race. After that, she broke the Finnish marathon record three times in a row. She won the Seville Marathon in February 2026 and also holds the Finnish half-marathon record. Lappeenranta celebrated its European champion at Harbour Square on 22 August 2026.

Alongside elite sport, Alisa makes running open to everyone. With her manager Julius Taskinen, she founded the Myötätuuli running club, which anyone can join. In an interview with Yle, she put it simply:
“Running belongs to everyone.”

Alisa is a true inspiration to the people of Lappeenranta.