I'm an intrepid nomad and professional coach, possessed with a keen curiosity to explore the world around me, and to keep discovering and learning new things. I help people to move forwards, by taking them sideways.
I decided to celebrate my 57th birthday by doing a bicycle tour following the banks of the Aura river in Turku, Finland, and in so doing, taking in some of the key tourist sites of my hometown. This is part 1, which has me start by the Paavo Nurmi Stadium in the city’s central sports park. I then follow the northern bank of the river to Turku Castle, and follow that with a nice climb up Kakolanmäki, which is the hill overlooking the city and where the old majestic Kakola Prison building is located, though it now functions as hotel, and includes an exhibition space and café. After meandering my way down to the river again, I cross over to the south bank with the Föri passenger ferry, which is where part 1 of my Aurajoki bicycle tour concludes.
I hope you enjoy this narrated, dare I say, personal tourism video, as I do my best to showcase the amazing things that my hometown has to offer! See you again later in part two.
On my 57th birthday, I decided to personally celebrate it by going on a bicycle tour, following the banks of the Aura river in my home town of Turku, Finland. While I’ll have a multi-part series of this local ride coming out later, I’m now, for the first time, posting something quite out of the ordinary, compared to what I usually offer up.
At the conclusion of the ride, I was suddenly flooded by a wave of strong thoughts and emotions, when I realised that it had now been exactly 5 years since I’d moved to Turku to live. This led me to start deeply pondering all the things that had happened in my life over this past half decade.
I’d actually conceived the Life on the Run concept, just after the end of my 18 year long marriage. I was in desperate need to recover from the trauma of all that, and so I set out to find a way to recalibrate my life, and to carefully decide what direction I was going to take myself next.
So, as a kind of therapy, I started to do long distance walking caminos and cycling tours. From that, it developed into making videos of those journeys with the primary goal of hopefully inspiring others to do the same, particularly those souls also looking for a way out of chaos towards new clarity and balance in their lives.
Deliver me Lord,
from chaos to clarity.
The wheels keep spinning.
‘Life on the Run’ by Jyri Manninen
The video above is a brief summary of those first 5 years of Life on the Run; and for those who may right now be going through some tough times, I hope that my words bring you at least a little bit of encouragement, as to how to begin navigating the inner turmoil of all the associated negative emotions, and sometimes even feelings of utter helplessness. Just know this. There is a way forward, and all you need to do is put one foot in front of the other … literally.
On this day, Gabriela and I decided to go and visit Kurjenrahka National Park, which is located about 50km from Turku, for the first time, and this time we would have company, namely my mum! Despite her mobility issues (she uses a rollator), it’s important to be as active as possible, in both body and mind, and my mum was certainly up for a nice day out!
The plan was for me to do the Savojärvi Circuit trail, while my mum relaxed at the lakeside outdoor area, and I would then join her for a picnic afterwards; and fortunately, the weather was absolutely stunning, so our spirits were high from the outset. On the way, we made a quick pit stop at Lieto to buy some snacks and drinks for our picnic, and then it was off into the beautiful Finnish countryside of Southwest Finland. After about another 30 minutes of easy driving, we’d arrived at Savojärvi.
Without delay, I set off. This 6.5km short hike around the lake would be a good introduction to the quite extensive 300km trail network in Kurjenrahka National Park; and it was also the best choice, as I didn’t want my mum to be stuck on her own for too long. As it turned out, she ended up talking with lots of other park visitors, so hardly even missed me!
By the water’s edge,
I lay down to think of you.
In the deep, you hide.
‘In the Deep’ by Jyri Manninen
Anyway, a little more about Kurjenrahka. It was established in 1998 and covers an area of 29 square kilometers. The area is mainly made up of marshes and bogs, but it also includes primeval forests, some of which have been unmanaged for over 150 years. The Eurasian lynx is a permanent resident here, as are some brown bears and gray wolves. There are also many bird species, including stately long-legged cranes and curious woodland owls. The park is suitable for visitors of all ages and is open all year around. The yard area of the Kurjenpesä Nature Information hut (Kurjenrahkan Luontotupa) is suitable for visitors with mobility difficulties, including a short easy-access nature trail that begins and ends there.
Even though completing the circuit at walking pace wouldn’t have taken too long, I actually decided to fast-pack it, that is, alternating walking and jogging. With the amazing ambience of the surrounding nature, my body just wanted to move with more vigor, and so I obeyed its wishes. Running again after such a long break, even though they were only relatively short sections, felt simply sublime!
Once back at base, we enjoyed a relaxed picnic and chat. Then, once our coffees had been drunk, and the mini cinnamon rolls had all been scoffed down, it was time for my mum, Gabby and me to make our way back home to Turku. What a wonderful day it was, and I was also very happy that my mum got to see something more than just the urban views around her seniors apartment. So, there’s a very good chance that we’ll be doing more such day trips, or even longer ones, this summer.
run for your life 