History and INWA
History and INWA
Every Nordic person probably has a version or two on how Nordic walking came about. One
common story is that in the 1930s, Finnish cross-country skiers tried to come up with a way
to stay in shape year-round. The method was to become known as Nordic walking. It was
refined in the mid 1990s by Risto Kasurinen and Marko Kantaneva, who worked for Matti
Heikkilä at the Finnish Sport Institute (Vierumäki) and by Sirpa Arvonen, who worked for the
(Finnish) National Association for Recreational Sports (Suomen Latu). In 1997, Exel Oy, a
Finnish sport equipment manufacturer, produced the first Nordic walking poles, and the
concept of Nordic walking became a real fitness activity and sport.
Just 10 years later, in 2007, approximately 8 million people
worldwide were Nordic walking. Two names come up
regarding the start of this fitness movement of walking
with poles. One is a gentleman named Tuomo Jantunen,
who brought Nordic walking into the spotlight by accident.
On the day of a ceremonious crosscountry skiing event in
Finland from Suomen Latu to Helsinki on January 5,1988,
a sudden rain melted all the snow. Instead of canceling the
occasion, all participants walked with only the ski poles—the
idea of Tuomo Jantunen, the managing director of Suomen
Latu. He made it his mission to continue developing this “ski-walking” idea into a sport to be
performed by anyone, not just athletes.
Another legend is a man in the United States named Tom Rutlin. He started the walking-with-
poles movement in 1985.Like any other successful fitness movement such as Pilates,
Feldenkrais, or Alexander technique, it came about due to a need. The Finnish cross-
country skiers needed to stay in shape all year-round, so they explored training with poles
during the dry seasons. Rutlin was a competitive runner and Nordic skier who became
injured, but refused to stop training because of the philosophy of the time—no pain, no gain.
Out of despair and persistence, he grabbed his ski poles and added them to his painful
running routine. For the first time, he felt some relief from the pain. As he tried to coax his
wife, Wendy, into using the poles, he agreed to just walk with the poles instead of running.
Not only was it more pleasant to be training with his wife, but he also had a mind–body
experience that made him realize the potential of this simple discovery. He felt more benefits
from walking with the poles than from running. Out of necessity, Rutlin developed walking
with poles (Exerstriding) into a fitness exercise in the United States.
Every Nordic person probably has a version or two on how Nordic walking came about. One
common story is that in the 1930s, Finnish cross-country skiers tried to come up with a way
to stay in shape year-round. The method was to become known as Nordic walking. It was
refined in the mid 1990s by Risto Kasurinen and Marko Kantaneva, who worked for Matti
Heikkilä at the Finnish Sport Institute (Vierumäki) and by Sirpa Arvonen, who worked for the
(Finnish) National Association for Recreational Sports (Suomen Latu). In 1997, Exel Oy, a
Finnish sport equipment manufacturer, produced the first Nordic walking poles, and the
concept of Nordic walking became a real fitness activity and sport.
Just 10 years later, in 2007, approximately 8 million people
worldwide were Nordic walking. Two names come up
regarding the start of this fitness movement of walking
with poles. One is a gentleman named Tuomo Jantunen,
who brought Nordic walking into the spotlight by accident.
On the day of a ceremonious crosscountry skiing event in
Finland from Suomen Latu to Helsinki on January 5,1988,
a sudden rain melted all the snow. Instead of canceling the
occasion, all participants walked with only the ski poles—the
idea of Tuomo Jantunen, the managing director of Suomen
Latu. He made it his mission to continue developing this “ski-walking” idea into a sport to be
performed by anyone, not just athletes.
Another legend is a man in the United States named Tom Rutlin. He started the walking-with-
poles movement in 1985.Like any other successful fitness movement such as Pilates,
Feldenkrais, or Alexander technique, it came about due to a need. The Finnish cross-
country skiers needed to stay in shape all year-round, so they explored training with poles
during the dry seasons. Rutlin was a competitive runner and Nordic skier who became
injured, but refused to stop training because of the philosophy of the time—no pain, no gain.
Out of despair and persistence, he grabbed his ski poles and added them to his painful
running routine. For the first time, he felt some relief from the pain. As he tried to coax his
wife, Wendy, into using the poles, he agreed to just walk with the poles instead of running.
Not only was it more pleasant to be training with his wife, but he also had a mind–body
experience that made him realize the potential of this simple discovery. He felt more benefits
from walking with the poles than from running. Out of necessity, Rutlin developed walking
with poles (Exerstriding) into a fitness exercise in the United States.
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In 2000, the International Nordic Walking Association (INWA) was
founded in Finland by Exel Oy to provide enthusiasts with proper
and safe instruction as they used their Nordic walking products.
Today INWA, an independent association, focuses on the
development of education, providing the latest research and
offering an international network of instructors promoting Nordic
walking to improve people’s health and quality of life. INWA has
member organizations in more than 20 countries. Over the years,
several other educational organizations have sprung up as well as
variations of Nordic walking techniques: the INWA technique, the
Exerstriding technique, the Fittrek technique, and the ALFA
technique, to name a few. The average person might not even
notice the difference. There are various ways to learn Nordic
walking, depending on the instructor. The original breakdown of the
INWA technique into 10 steps was created by Malin Svensson
(Svensson, 2003). It has been revised over the years by the INWA
Educational Committee and like any other sport, the technique and
teaching methods continue to be polished and further developed.
Printed by permission of Malin Svensson author of Outdoor Adventures: Nordic Walking
(Human Kinetics May 2009)
founded in Finland by Exel Oy to provide enthusiasts with proper
and safe instruction as they used their Nordic walking products.
Today INWA, an independent association, focuses on the
development of education, providing the latest research and
offering an international network of instructors promoting Nordic
walking to improve people’s health and quality of life. INWA has
member organizations in more than 20 countries. Over the years,
several other educational organizations have sprung up as well as
variations of Nordic walking techniques: the INWA technique, the
Exerstriding technique, the Fittrek technique, and the ALFA
technique, to name a few. The average person might not even
notice the difference. There are various ways to learn Nordic
walking, depending on the instructor. The original breakdown of the
INWA technique into 10 steps was created by Malin Svensson
(Svensson, 2003). It has been revised over the years by the INWA
Educational Committee and like any other sport, the technique and
teaching methods continue to be polished and further developed.
Printed by permission of Malin Svensson author of Outdoor Adventures: Nordic Walking
(Human Kinetics May 2009)