Helsinki City Run Reviews (2)

This year's Helsinki City Run was run in a cloudy weather at about 8 degrees Celsius. Almost no wind (except around that damn Pikku Huopalahti bay). The race had 10 400 participants, but this year I could run more freely due to my earlier starting group (almost all the runners were aiming at a faster time than me, so I had no trouble overtaking).

The course is a nice mix of city streets, parks and seaside walkways. Some elevation, but not too much. The last large uphill at about the 18 km mark is excruciating, but due to some changes in the goal areas, the awful rise to the finish line was missing and after the 19 km mark it was smooth sailing to the goal line.

The facilities were somewhat poorer this year, mostly due to the renovation of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. This meant, for example, that we couldn't run to the stadium for the goal. :( I also felt that the offerings (drink and food) in the goal weren't quite up to last year's level, but they still were very good.

I aimed for 2:15 this year, because my training was not as diligent as last year, but because of the better starting group and my even pace throughout the race I was abel to finish at 2:07:46, my new record!

This was my second Helsinki City Run after running my first in 2009. Thus I'll make some comparisons in this review.

I started in a later group with a goal time of 2:10, but also made sure I was in front of the group at the start, allowing me to start at my own pace & beat the traffic. The route itself has a few narrow kilometers (Keskuspuisto woods, Pikku Huopalahti paths) but I had no major problems with traffic.

The early May date is always a risk but this year was much better than the winds & rain of 2009. It rained only for the last 2 km and the Pikku Huopalahti strech wasn't _as_ windy as it was the year before.

Regarding the race organization, I think the fact that the Olympic Stadium is closed due to renovation caused this year's offering to be a bit weaker. Basic drinking points along the route were fine, but the cramped Töölön Kisahalli had nothing on Olympiastadion for the before and after part of the run. The movable toilets provided didn't compete with the Stadium's facilities either.

Will I do the City Run next year? Probably, but if you are looking to set a personal best or are sensitive to traffic, consider the alternatives too.