Midnight Run Helsinki 2015 Report

Saturday night, 29th August 2015, was the 6th Midnight Run in Helsinki. This year’s event gathered close to 11,000 runners to the Senate Square to run the 10 km loop in the city centre of Helsinki. The amount of participants have been on the rise since the first edition of the event and this year’s event saw yet another new record!

Midnight Run Helsinki 2015

No wonder the event is so popular, and one of the biggest running events in Finland: it is well organised and the atmosphere is uplifting to the spirit .

The start and finish area is situated in the city centre at the beautiful Senate Square. As the evening gets darker, the night lights of the Helsinki Cathedral right by the square make the atmosphere rather magical. The steps in front of the cathedral can host a large audience and with the square the area can easily host even a bigger event. With the 11,000 thousand runners there was plenty of space for everyone to get ready for the challenge to come.

The 10 km route weaved and undulated mostly along the seaside of Helsinki, through some dimly lit streets and parks. Throughout there was sufficient light to make running a safe experience. The surface was mostly asphalt apart from a few cobble-stoned streets.

In several spots along the route there was entertainment in the form of samba rhythms and dance, bands playing music and groups dancing and cheering. This creates a carnival atmosphere and definitely makes running more enjoyable, and surely more fun for the spectators too. There is just something special about racing in the evening lightning.

There were 2 water points on the route and each kilometre was marked making it easy to follow the progress.

What makes the event so spectacular; and especially for the specators, is that all the runners wear their event t-shirts (the elite field being an exception). This year a wave of over 10,000 blue coloured t-shirts frolicked through Helsinki streets. Wonder what the colour for next year will be?

You can also have more fun by participating in a costume. Let your imagination flow and enter a competition for the best costume with your friends.

For the more competitive runner, the route does not necessarily provide a new personal record with its few climbs but with the fast field you are guaranteed to get a decent race on the day.

In the start and finish area there were several companies showcasing their products and there were plenty of products to sample before and after the event: evergy and recovery drinks, energy bars, coffee etc. Everyone got their little goodie bag after the run too!

Images from the Midnight Run Helsinki 2015