 Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Hondo yechando pakati peFinland neSoviet Union yakatanga musi wa30 November 1939. Kufanana nevakawanda vevamwe vake Flying Finns, kusanganisira Gunnar Höckert naLauri Lehtinen, Mäki pakutanga akaiswa paKarelian Isthmus. Zvisinei, pamwe chete naPaavo Nurmi, akatumwa kunoshanyira United States muna February 1940 kuitira kuti awane mari yeFinland Relief Fund. Mukati merwendo rwacho, urwo rwakatora mwedzi miviri uye rwakaguma nokuoneka pamberi pavanhu 14 000 paMadison Square Garden, varume vaviri vacho vakakwikwidzana nevatambi veAmerica vakasarudzwa nemaoko. Nguva dzaMäki mukati merwendo dzaive dziri pasi zvikuru pane dzaakanga aisa muzhizha rakapfuura, chikonzero chacho chakanga chiri nyaya yekukakavadzana kukuru panguva iyoyo. Basa raMäki rakapfupikiswa nebasa muHondo Yenyika II. Kurwisana kwacho kwakanga kwaparirawo kukanzurwa kweMitambo yeOlympic yeZhizha ya1940.muHelsinki, uye nokudaro kugumisa tariro dzaMäki dzokumirira nyika yake paMitambo yeOlympic. 