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ENDURANCE RUNNING
AS INITIATION INTO THE MYSTERIES
A CASE STUDY BASED ON THE EICTION OF
JARI EHRNROOTH
ee
JOHANNA DOMOKOS
ABSTRACT
In several of his works, the Finnish philosopher, writer, and athlete Jari
Ehrnrooth (b. 1959) describes how endurance running can serve as a means for
transcending the everyday state of mind and experiencing the “unattainable
Holy Absolute.” Unit One (Neurobiology and cultural traditions of endurance
running) of the present study offers a short heuristic view of running as mystical
method in different traditions throughout documented human history and
tangentially considers endurance running through the lens of Christian
theology. By closely investigating the works of Jari Ehrnrooth, Unit Two
(Major works by Ehrnrooth related to endurance running, creative writing,
and mystical experience) shows how these works verbalize the experience of
an endurance runner, while also providing examples of endurance running as
a method of mystical initiation. The literary analysis of Unit Three (Juoksu
and Palvelijan loikka / The Serving Stride) approaches the concept of “mystical
initiation” not from a top-down perspective (invoking religious discourse), but
rather from the bottom up, offering a philological investigation of the way an
author describes certain phenomena. Unit Four (Closing thoughts) concludes
the study with reflections on mapping the postmodern mystical terrain in
literary production.
During the savannah stage the genus homo evolved into a biped endurance runner
with a slender torso and upright posture. Venting our deepest spiritual longings,
this form of movement so instinctive to our species has witnessed the birth of the
praying runner. What could bea more natural form of worship? In tests of physical
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