Eläintarha, Helsinki, Finland, September 11–12, 1926
The Finnish Civil War in 1918 divided the country's sporting life in two. Workers' sports clubs were expelled from the Finnish National Sport Federation (SVUL), leading them to form the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation (TUL). The new federation prohibited its members from competing in SVUL-affiliated competitions during the 1920s and 1930s.
At the TUL games in Helsinki in 1926, several world-class results were achieved in calm and warm weather. The toughest competition was seen in the 5000 meters. Kalle Sarvimäki made a push in the final kilometre, but his raw effort didn't last until the end, as Yrjö Jokela, who had been following, overtook him 200 metres before the finish line. Jokela's winning time of 14:55.5 was bettered only eight times worldwide in 1926. Among Finns, only Paavo Nurmi and Armas Kinnunen had run the 12 and a half laps faster. Sarvimäki, with his time of 14:58.2, placed tenth, right after Jokela.
Jokela crowned his weekend by also sprinting to victory in the 10,000 metres with the eighth fastest time of the season, 31:59.7.
Jokela did not stay in Finland for long, moving to Canada in the autumn, where he later led the local workers' sports federation. Sarvimäki, a chauffeur who enforced prohibition, transferred to the ranks of SVUL in 1927 but did not compete in the Amsterdam Olympic year of 1928.
Plumber and Paavo Nurmi's friend, Iivari Rötkö, blazed to the world-leading marathon time of 2:34:26. The runner-up, Frans Lahti, ran only 40,200 metres, clocking in at 2:28:31. This equated to an approximate time of 2:37 for a full marathon, which secured third or fourth place in the world rankings.
Suomen Sosialidemokraatti, September 13, 1926 (in Finnish)
Idrottsbladet, September 15, 1926 (in Swedish)