Name: Paavo Nurmi Marathon | Half | Relay | And More
Start: 2027-08-14
End: 2027-08-14
Location: Hurley

About the Event

The Paavo Nurmi Marathon is a point-to-point marathon run in Northern Iron County, Wisconsin - always the 2nd Saturday in August. Locals and visitors alike will witness true "SISU". At its heart, SISU means extraordinary determination, courage, resilience, and inner strength—especially when things are difficult and you’re not sure you have anything left to give.

The course begins in the town of Upson and continues along Highway 77 through the communities of Iron Belt, Pence and Montreal. Near Carey, the race turns down County Highway C, clips past the Gile Flowage and proceeds along U.S. Route 51 into the city of Hurley. The finish line is located on Silver Street in Hurley, where the race finishers are served a traditional Finnish stew called Mojakka.

The Paavo Nurmi was established in 1969 and is considered to be the oldest running marathon in Wisconsin.

As of 2026, the record for the event stands at 2:19.10, set by Richard Wilde of England in 1978. The women's record is held by Mary Bange of La Crosse, Wisconsin, in a time of 2:47.49, set in 1979.

Another marathon bearing the same name has been held since 1991 in Paavo Nurmi's birth city of Turku, Finland.

The Paavo runs on a verified course, and this year the Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce is handling ALL the details for the race INCLUDING assuring all runners that the course is a Boston Marathon Qualified Course!!!

The Paavo Nurmi Marathon is the longest running marathon in Wisconsin, with 2027 being our 57th year.

Packet Pickup is Friday August 14 at the Hurley K-12 School, located at 5503 W Range View Drive, Hurley WI 54534
3:00 - 7:00 pm

LATE Packet Pickup is available Saturday August 14 beginning at 5:30 am.
At the Iron Horse Trailhead, located at the corner of 5th Avenue and Silver Street.

Register TODAY!

Races Offered

Paavo Nurmi Marathon - VIRTUAL

Aug 14, 2027

straighten

Distance — 42.2K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

07:00

sell

$45.00

Paavo Nurmi Marathon Handcycle

Aug 14, 2027

straighten

Distance — 42.2K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

07:25

sell

$45.00

Paavo Nurmi Marathon

Aug 14, 2027

straighten

Distance — 42.2K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

07:30

sell

$45.00

Paavo Nurmi Marathon RELAY

Aug 14, 2027

straighten

Distance — 42.2K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

07:30

sell

$100.00

Paavo Nurmi Half Marathon

Aug 14, 2027

straighten

Distance — 21.1K

terrain

Type — Running

timer

08:30

sell

$35.00

Weather History

These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for August in Hurley.

thermostat Temperature

14.0° / 23.5°

wb_sunny Feels like

12.6° / 22.5°

light_mode Avg sunshine hours

10h 39m

water_drop Avg rainfall

2.4 mm

ac_unit Avg snowfall

—

air Avg wind speed

11.4 km/h (Light breeze)

opacity Sweat loss rate

Moderate

terrain Course conditions

Firm and slightly soft

sunny Max UV Index

Moderate (4.9)

humidity_mid Humidity

75.9%

wb_twilight Sunrise

06:00

nightlight Sunset

20:07

About Hurley

Learn more about the host city, Hurley.

Hurley is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,558 at the 2020 census. It is located directly across the Montreal River from Ironwood, Michigan.