🇫🇮Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki City Marathon
May 8, 2027
Race facts
Next edition · 2027
May 8, 2027
ScheduledStart
Mäntymäentie, beside the Paavo Nurmi statue outside the Olympic Stadium — 9:30am for the under-4-hour group, 9:40am for over-4-hour
Course
135 melevation gain
- Distance · surface
- 42.2 km · Road
- Layout
- City loop, mostly flat with gentle rises
- Profile
- Mostly flat with gentle granite rises; seaside, park and downtown sections
Entry
Direct paid registration with Finnish Athletics — no ballot or qualifying time
- Status · last recorded
- Registration open
- Registration
- Opens the spring before with rising price steps: €75 until 31 October 2026, then €82
Dates and entry details change. Confirm with the organiser before you book.
PB potential
Good conditions for a solid performance
Beginner friendly
Great for newcomers — manageable course, strong support
About this race
Helsinki's marathon is the flagship of the Helsinki City Run weekend, organised by Finnish Athletics and run since 1981 — in May since 2018, after decades as an August race. The route starts beside the Paavo Nurmi statue outside the Olympic Stadium, drops down Mannerheimintie, the capital's main street, and mixes seafront, park and downtown kilometres before finishing inside the stadium itself. The 135 m of elevation reflects Helsinki's granite coastal topography: mostly flat, with gentle rises rather than real hills. Early May brings cool, bright running weather, long daylight and a sea breeze that can help or hinder depending on the wind. Pacers cover every 15 minutes from 3:00 to 5:30, there are eleven refreshment stations, and the six-hour limit makes it a welcoming first marathon as well as a fair spring target for a time.
Typical race-day weather
Temperature
6–15°C
Humidity
60–75%
Conditions
Nordic spring — cool and bright, long daylight
Wind
10–20 km/h Baltic sea breeze
Who this race suits
Runners who want a cool-weather Nordic city marathon with an Olympic Stadium finish and relaxed Finnish organisation — good for a first marathon and for a spring tune-up.
Fair PB potential: mild May temperatures, a mostly flat seaside-and-park route and pacers every 15 minutes from 3:00 to 5:30. Some granite rises and sea wind, so not pancake-flat.
Overview
- Field size
- The marathon is the flagship of a weekend that draws ~24,000 runners across its distances
- Cut-off time
- 6 hours from the last starter
- Pace support
- Pacers from 3:00 to 5:30 in 15-minute steps
- Aid stations
- 11 refreshment stations plus one energy-gel station
- When
- The Saturday of the Helsinki City Run weekend in early-to-mid May — the race moved from August to May in 2018; the 2027 edition is Saturday 8 May 2027
Course intelligence
- Highlights
- Opening kilometres down Mannerheimintie, the seafront, the city's parks, and a finish inside the Olympic Stadium
Registration
- Note
- Organised by Finnish Athletics (SUL) with Helsinki running clubs
Race weekend
- Finish
- Inside the Helsinki Olympic Stadium
- Expo
- Bib pickup at the stadium on the Friday (8am–6pm and 7–8pm) and Saturday until 8:40am — collect at least an hour before your start
Travel & logistics
- Best airport
- Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL) — train to the centre in ~30 minutes
- Getting around
- Tram to the Olympic Stadium in Töölö; the centre is walkable
- Where to stay
- Töölö for the stadium, or the city centre a tram ride away
Runner tips
- Collect your bib by 8:40am on Saturday at the latest — there is no later pickup.
- May mornings can be 5–10°C with sea wind; dress for the start, not the afternoon high.
- Pick the right start group: 9:30am is for runners targeting under 4 hours.
Pace Band
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