New York, NY, June 2, 1929
Athletically, Paavo Nurmi's American tour was rather unremarkable. He fell far short of his 1925 results. The 1–2 mile distances offered at indoor meets in America were beginning to feel too short for him at this stage in his career. Nurmi, also known as “the Phantom,” only began to regain his form as the outdoor season opened. In early June, he finished a 6-mile handicap race in New York with a time of 30:36.6, which translates to a 10,000-meter equivalent of 31:48.7, ranking him fifth in Finland's 1929 statistics.
Shortly after the 6-mile race, Nurmi returned to Finland. He told American newspapers he was heading back to treat a knee injury, which he claimed, according to “the Phantom,” had worsened on the journey to America. For Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, Nurmi cited overtraining as the reason for his departure.